The Narcissus
by windlily
Summary: Young pirate Matsumoto is thrust into unwilling captaincy when Ichimaru is captured. In desperation, she decides to kidnap a prince and force a trade. But who is this boy by the prince's side, and why can't she tell what he's thinking?  AU HitsuMatsu
1. To Port

Well, here we are. The first, wonderfully ripe fruit of my community service hours so far. Yay! Well, like I said in my profile, this is an AU story, a **pirate **AU story, so the characters will all be slightly different than they are in canon. Hitsugaya, for example, is eighteen and quite a bit taller than 4'4". So you see? I will do my best to incorporate their base personalities, however, so just bare with me, 'kay? -sweatdrop-

I must also give credit to Vacant Eyes, who came up with the original concept of this story, and to tsukinotenshi, who beta read it for me. You guys rock. So much.

Disclaimer: All I did was write the thing.

* * *

"_Where there is sea, there are pirates."_

* * *

**Chapter One**

To Port

* * *

"Long, long ago a small island kingdom proudly named Seireitei was ruled by a kind and capable king. This king was a good friend of a renowned pirate captain who willingly protected the surrounding waters with his three great galleons. The island kingdom was small, but it was brimming with natural resources. Because of this, it was a prime target for invasion by the many larger, coastal kingdoms nearby, namely the conquest-hungry country of Hueco Mundo. In order to prevent such a thing from happening, the king and the pirate captain forged a very special key of which each held half. When combined exactly so, it would summon a powerful, god-like guardian beast that could wipe out the invaders in one unavoidable onslaught, obliterating man and ship alike. The beast was not of this world, strong enough to hold the planet hostage, but the king and pirate were not interested in such power, using it only as a last resort in protecting their homeland and the people who lived there. And so, for a time, peace reigned.

"Have you heard of this story before?"

A gaunt man, his ratty clothing covered in a layer of grime and his pale complexion marred by a fair many cuts and bruises, lifted his head just enough to see the friendly figure on the other side of the iron bars. A single brow rose, scattering a few silver strands of hair attached to his skin by a week's worth of gritty sweat. The figure was another man, slightly older but holding a grace about him that the first man lacked. His brown hair was slicked back regally, and a warm smile was plastered upon his lips. He was flawlessly clean, a rare sight in this day and age, and his clothes were those of high royalty. He was, in short, an absolute contrast to his prisoner.

Chains rattled as the prisoner lifted his shackled wrists to stretch out his arms, leaning back against the cold, hard cell wall with an air of nonchalance unbefitting of his current predicament. "Ya forgot the part where the king conveniently died an' the captain disappeared just in time fo' the kingdom ta be over taken. But yeah, I've heard'a that story. I do live there, ya know, and what self-respectin' citizen o' Seireitei hasn' heard'a it?"

"You are hardly a citizen of any kingdom, let alone my Seireitei, _Captain_ Gin Ichimaru," the second man replied steely, stepping forward, "pirate."

"Ya mean 'prisoner', right?" Ichimaru smirked.

"Indeed," the man returned the gesture. "And I have a proposition for you, prisoner."

Gin raised a single, silver brow before waving his hand with another iron song courtesy of the hefty chains. "Proposition away."

"If you answer the following question truthfully, I will open this door and you will be free to leave." Now Gin was genuinely intrigued. What answer could he provide that would be worth his very life? "Tell me, where have you hidden the key?"

Ichimaru was silent for a moment, soaking in the man's words. Then he laughed. It was low and quiet at first, a light chuckle, but it escalated in volume, speed, and pitch, evolving and convulsing his lean body until he looked more like a rabid animal than a sentient human being, the maniacal shriek of the truly deranged. The man watching did not flinch throughout the frightening display, instead standing patiently in wait for it to end. Eventually, the demented laughing did die down, but the maddened humor Gin exuded from his every, sweaty pore would not fade away.

"If you refuse to speak, it would be quite easy to hunt down and slaughter every last man of your meager crew."

His threat was met with a vampire smile the likes of which no one had ever been able to imitate as the chained prisoner lifted his squinting eye lids for the first time, revealing ominous, snake-like, neon green orbs.

"It ain't the _men_ on my crew ya hafta worry 'bout, Sousuke Aizen,_ Yo' Highness_."

* * *

"Gimme another!"

The gruff bartender pulled his eyes off of the glass he was cleaning and allowed them to travel down toward his most recent, severely intoxicated patron. And she was quite an interesting sight. Clothed in a large traveling cloak with the heavy, Arabian-styled hood pulled down so far that he couldn't even see her face, she had obviously made a point to be sure almost nothing except for her excessive cleavage and the occasional stray strand of fiery golden hair was visible at all. In fact, the only reasons he could tell she was a woman at all were the two giant bulges protruding from deep within the confines of her loose, black shirt. Because he couldn't see her facial features, he couldn't tell exactly how drunk she was, but after taking a glance at the four other empty glasses at her side, he decided that however drunk she was, it was drunk enough.

"I think you've had plenty," he grunted, turning his gaze back to his cleaning.

He didn't get very far.

A hand reached out and grabbed him by the cuff of his collar, dragging him down to the woman's eye level. A single, pale eye became visible enough through the shadows for him to see just how frighteningly serious she was. "Did it sound like I was askin' for your opinion?"

"Er … no, I guess not," he amended anxiously, filling another glass for her as soon as she let go. Once he felt slightly safer, he added as an afterthought, "As long as you're paying."

A bitter laugh exploded from her vocal chords as she snatched the glass from his outstretched hand. "Oh, I can pay. Money is one thing I'm _not_ short on."

Before he had any time to contemplate what she meant, however, the doors were plowed down and two men stormed purposefully inside. Both were upset, and both looked ready to kill because of it. They took up places on either side of the mysterious woman, ignoring the other customers entirely, grabbed one arm each, and began hustling her to leave. The bartender almost had a mind to punch both of them out, but he thought better of it. Especially after the woman did it just as well on her own.

"I'm not drunk enough yet!" she yelled at them, hitting both on the top of their heads once more, just for good measure.

"But, Captain!" one of the men growled, the tribal-esque tattoos on his brow twitching as he hugged his battered, obnoxiously red cranium. "We have to go _now_! Captain!"

He received another bonk to the head for his efforts.

"She won't respond to that title," the other, slightly calmer man grumbled under his breath, running a hand through his wild, dark hair as he frowned at his companion. "Remember?"

"Of course, I do! I'm trying to _make_ her respond to it! She's the one he chose, ain't she?!" he shouted right back, only to be ignored.

"Rangiku, we've got trouble," the second man turned away from the other to once again face the woman. "There's a whole, damn ship of Loyals entering the port. If they catch us right now, we're finished."

"Runnin' from Loyals, eh?" the bartender finally spoke up, voicing the apprehensive thoughts of all of the other patrons within his tavern. "Then that would make you three … pirates."

But he, too, was ignored. The woman, Rangiku, was staring down the man beside her with a wide-eyed, animalistic glare prompted by so many emotions that he couldn't tell which ones they were. At least one, however, was easy enough for him to identify. It was written all over her hidden features. Anger. "_Loyals?_ In a beat-down town like this?" she whispered, her voice surprisingly hoarse as if something were caught in her throat. "Shuuhei, what was the emblem on the mast's flag?"

The man was hesitant to reply, but the woman's unblinking stare finally broke him. "The kingdom of Hueco Mundo's royal crest."

"Hueco Mundo's royalty?!" she inhaled so sharply that her words sounded more like a curse than anything else. "You've gotta be-! They're the ones who captured Gin!"

"Sh!" the dark haired man hissed, his finger over his mouth and his muddy-colored eyes darting around as the few others in the bar began whispering amongst themselves. Gin Ichimaru was not a name to be spoken in public.

It was quite clear to the bartender that Rangiku was now stone cold sober. And so was everyone else in the tavern. All it took was one name. _Gin Ichimaru._ The infamous pirate captain with the infamous bounty to match. The captain of the most legendary pirate crew in existence. The last hope of Seireitei still rebelling against Hueco Mundo's rule. And she had just said he'd been captured?!

"Ran…" the other man, the one covered in the gaudy, black tattoos, trailed off, a warning expression prominent upon his features. "He won't be on that ship. They took him away weeks ago. We're not getting him back."

Rangiku was silent for a very long time before she met his eyes head on. Her voice was eerily quiet yet somehow held a ferocity about it that made it very clear to her companions that they would not like what she was about to say. And they didn't. "I know, Renji. _He_ won't be. But _someone_ will."

Renji spasmed, choking on who knew what in his shock. The other man, Shuuhei, had just a bit more luck with finding his voice. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded, grabbing her arm in his intensity.

A rather deranged smirk found its way to her lips as she eyed his hand, then simply swatted him away and sat back down at her seat, ordering another round of drinks. "That's 'What the hell are you talking about, _Captain_?' to you, Shuu," she replied curtly, her unwavering smile resembling that of their former captain. "And my first orders are that we stay right here until those Loyals leave. Then we follow and snag them out at open sea. How does _that_ sound?"

"Like suicide," Shuuhei grumbled.

"Pretty damn stupid," Renji supplied.

But despite their words, both men sat down on either side of her and accepted the drinks she had ordered for them.

"You know," the bar tender managed after a moment, returning to his attempts at cleaning his glassware, "if you'd have told me you were Gin's, I wouldn't have charged you for the drinks."

* * *

"I don't think I like this idea," a soft, hesitant voice spoke up. "I don't think I'll be any good at it at all."

"Stop saying 'I think,'" a second, slightly gruffer voice retorted, "and you'll do just fine. Leave the thinking to me. Just look important and pretend you know what you're doing."

"But…"

"No 'buts' either," the second voice hissed. "This sort of run-down, vigilante port screams _pirates_ so loudly my eardrums are about to burst! But we have no choice; we need to restock. And under these circumstances, this is the best way to ensure the safety of the Sixth Prince of Hueco Mundo. You wouldn't want Aizen hearing that anything went wrong so soon after such a celebration, would you?"

"N-No…" the first voice gave in altogether too easily. "His Highness would be very … mad."

"Indeed." The rougher voice had gone cold at this. "So you understand. Then let's dock."

"Y-Yes, sire."

"Fool. You're the one who's supposed to be giving the orders."

* * *

As soon as the elaborate galleon had set to port, a great deal of uniformed men began to file out in an organized manner. They all had been deigned their specific tasks and would go about completing them as quickly as possible. After all, they were working for royalty. What more incentive did one need? Two figures, however, stood out among the crowd because of the simple fact that they weren't moving. They didn't follow orders. They gave them.

One stood to the front of the other, who had shrunk behind and to the right of his companion. Both were young, but the one to the front appeared a few years older. His dark hair was fairly limp around his plain and submissive facial features, but the clothing he wore and the strict posture he held signaled him as the sixth heir to the throne of Hueco Mundo. He was obviously hesitant to give orders to the burly men surrounding him, all much taller, more muscular, and over all much more frightening than those he usually dealt with, and so the one by his side took up the task for him. He was a bit shorter than his comrade, but not exceedingly so. White hair fixed with a fair amount of glues and other products stood atop his head so as to keep it from falling limp into his large, green eyes, and his rough hands suggested that in the past he had done a good bit of work himself, despite his close connection with the man of royal blood that stood before him.

"There," the younger finally sighed, letting the volume of his voice drop now that he was no longer shouting instructions. "See? We'll be out of port and on our way in no time."

"Good," the hesitant one replied with surprising decisiveness. "I don't like this place at all, Hitsugaya. Almost everyone looks at me like I'm about to kill them. And the one's that don't look like _they_ want to kill _me_…."

"We won't be here long," Hitsugaya huffed, folding his arms across his barely-covered chest. "If it makes you so uncomfortable, you can head back inside, Cowardly Prince."

"I…" the young prince tried to protest, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything further. With a heavy sigh, he nodded and returned to the innards of the ship, looking utterly downtrodden.

Toushirou Hitsugaya grimaced at his retreating back. How the hell did he expect to be respected as the Sixth Prince of the strongest country in the world when he wouldn't even talk back to his own, personal _servant_?! This was never going to work out unless that damn man found himself a backbone. He supposed that was where he'd have to come in. With a weighted sigh to match the prince's, he glared at the imperial galleon for a few minutes more before giving up and trailing after.

"I hate royalty…."

* * *

Chapter One End

* * *


	2. Pretty Damn Stupid

I hope this chapter stays up to par. I'm not exactly well versed in nautical terminology, and I felt I needed to bring in more characters. Now that I've finalized the plot, I want to get into all of their stories and personalities as well. That being said, Ikkaku and Yumichika are just too much fun...

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Pretty Damn Stupid

* * *

"So? What do you see?"

Two men stood a fair distance from the newly-docked galleon, watching the proceedings from behind a large stack of crates. One of the men was looking intently through a telescope as the other scrutinized several passers by. He tucked a bit of dark hair back behind his ear, rating each of the passing men's hairstyles on a scale of one to ten, ten being equivalent to his own. This wasn't very interesting at all, considering that most of these men were Loyals working on the ship they were spying on and therefore all shared the same military-issued cut. At least it was better than staring at his partner's complete lack of any hair at all. And speaking of thick skulls…

"Oi, Ikkaku!" he shouted, banging the other upside his head, obviously not privy to the concept of _spying_. "What are you ogling over there!?"

"A pansy rich guy and his pretty boy assistant," Ikkaku grunted in reply, either unphased by or completely unaware of the fact that he had just been hit.

Yumichika Ayasegawa quickly snatched the telescope for himself, not caring at all about the eye it had been attached to. "Pretty boy? Ah. You're referring to the white haired one? I suppose he is rather handsome, very soft on the eyes, but he could never compare to me."

Ikkaku Madarame snorted. "But who'da thought it?"

"Hm?"

"Rangiku was right. There really is somebody worth somethin' on that stupid ship."

"Don't go jumping to conclusions, Ikkaku," Yumichika scolded, wagging a finger at him. "Hueco Mundo's royalty is pretty diverse. There are dukes and lords aplenty that wouldn't even be worth Captain Ichimaru's little finger."

Ikkaku stole the telescope back to take another look. "I dunno, Yumi. With those crazy robes? He's gotta be worth _somethin'_ at least. Maybe an arm?"

"Don't even joke about that. We get the captain back in one piece or Rangiku skins us alive. You know how she gets at times like this."

Ikkaku lifted his eyes from the telescope, raising his brow in question. "Ya mean like … this time of the month?"

His question was met with another blow to his cranium. "No, you hairless dolt! I mean when Captain Ichimaru's involved! You know they were lo-" but before he could finish, Yumichika was interrupted when a stray newspaper flew right into his face.

Ikkaku allowed himself another snort of laughter at his partner's expense. _Served him right for that _hairless_ comment…_ "Yeah, yeah. They're madly in love and want to make tons of little, squinty-eyed babies together. So how are we 'sposed to figure out if he's worth somethin'?"

"Oh, he's worth _something_, alright. A whole lot more than your pathetic existence. Or mine."

"The hell are you talking about, Yumi?" Ikkaku growled, whirling around. "Didn't you just say that we can't assume anything?"

Before he could say anything more, however, Yumichika shoved the newspaper in front of him. "Read this," was all he said, but his tone of voice was enough to keep Ikkaku quiet long enough to do so. The baldheaded man's jaw plummeted.

"No way."

"Apparently, there _is_ a way."

"Ran's gonna want to know about this right away."

"Of course."

And the two men hastily headed back to the ship, confident that if they could pull this off, they'd have Gin Ichimaru back in charge before they could even say "jackpot."

* * *

Renji Abarai was the first to greet them when they arrived. He sat on the post designating their ship's dock, not even bothering to stand up as the two hurried toward him. "I take it you found something?" he smirked. "Ran's in the Captain's cabin."

At this, however, Yumichika halted, turning a confused stare on his redheaded comrade. "The Captain's cabin? But she hasn't let anybody in there since…"

"She's had a bit of a change of heart since she heard there were Hueco Mundo Loyals in town. She even called herself Captain," Renji replied, slightly amused at the idea. But his good mood died when he added, "Just don't go overboard with it, okay? She acts like she knows what she's doing and all, but she's the one without a clue. I can't believe she's really gonna go through with this…."

Ikkaku rolled his eyes. "Well, now she is," he grumbled. "We bagged ourselves a goldmine with this. There's no way she'll back out when she hears the news."

Renji narrowed his eyes at the man, before finally hopping off of the post. "If it's that big, I'm coming with you."

"The more the merrier," Yumichika chimed as they boarded the galleon and made their way down to the Captain's cabin.

Yoruichi Shihouin stood at the door, arms folded across her barely-covered bust. Her long, purple hair was up in a loose bun that wound around once and fell back down to create a sort of ponytail. Renji looked this over with interest. Yoruichi hardly ever took the time to do her hair up as fancy as that. He wondered if it was Soifon's doing. After all, wasn't that kind of hairstyle reserved for the upper classes? He was interrupted from his thoughts when Yoruichi opened her golden eyes to look them over. She smiled. "Ran's been waiting. You better get in there before she throws a fit." They nodded and entered.

The sight that met them wasn't a surprising one. If Yoruichi was right outside, then it was only common sense to assume Kisuke Urahara was nearby. The erratic navigator and Rangiku were huddled over a collection of maps, pointing out key locations and plotting the best route to Hueco Mundo's largest port, Resurección. They looked up when the three men entered, a knowing smirk crawling its way across Kisuke's lips a little reminiscent of their former captain's infamous grin. Renji frowned. Why was it that that man always seemed to know everything beforehand and yet made it a point not to tell anyone anything? It was annoying.

"So?" Rangiku Matsumoto asked, waiting for an explanation.

"We found this as we were watching the Loyals' ship," Yumichika offered her the newspaper. "Everything fits. He's the one."

Rangiku scoured the page, Kisuke removing his signature bucket hat to better peek over her shoulder. Her pale eyes widened from under her concealing hood as she read aloud, "It was truly a celebration to behold when the Sixth Prince of Hueco Mundo, the youngest heir to the throne, exchanged wedding vows with one of the beautiful daughters of ally country Rukongai's esteemed ruler in Hueco Mundo's glorious capital, Las Noches. The festivities shall continue for several days, but the young prince has volunteered to conduct the annual talks with Seireitei's royalty in the well-known capital of Soukyoku in light of his current achievements. We shall all wish him luck and haste on his journey, so that he may return to his patient bride."

Silence. Then: "We're right in the middle of the two capitals, aren't we?" Matsumoto finally breathed. "If they somehow couldn't restock at the last port, they'd have no choice but to restock here. It really does fit."

Now it was Renji's turn to ask. "So?"

"So," interrupted Yoruichi playfully as she stepped into the room, garbed in the stark white uniform of the Loyals, "it's time to play a little game of tag."

* * *

Hitsugaya turned his head up toward the masthead, squinting through the moonlight at the man situated there. "What do you see?" he shouted, hand cupping his mouth so that the sound would travel farther. The man peered over the edge, giving him a quizzical look.

"Nothing really," he replied. "Weather's fine, and the land is hardly in view any more. Just some greenery aft the stern, is all. And another ship that took off a bit after ours."

Hitsugaya immediately tensed. "Another ship?"

"Yeah, a big galleon like this one. I think it's actually a bit bigger, to be honest. But that doesn't really mean anything. We just left a port town, after all."

The young man sighed his acknowledgment before heading below deck. Sure, they had just left port, but that particular port had not been an official one nor had it appeared very friendly toward the Hueco Mundo government at all. He couldn't blame them, not really. But the least they could do was _try_ to hide their utter and complete contempt.

As he stepped off the ladder, an unfamiliar face met his, which was surprising seeing as he was fairly certain he would have remembered that face had he seen it before. Honestly, anyone would be hard pressed to forget a figure like that, not to mention those brilliant, golden eyes. "Who are you?" he asked, his own eyes narrowing. "And what are you doing in the men's quarters?"

Yoruichi Shihouin had not expected anyone to pick her out among the crowd, so when someone did just that, she found herself rather amused. She whirled around to face the someone, surprised to have to look down to do so. But when she recognized his face, she realized it wasn't so surprising after all. He was one of the men who was in charge of the ship, and he matched Ikkaku and Yumi's description of the person who had been with the prince as well. Well then, time to play. "The name's Nyoko Takayumi," she replied with a curt bow. "And I was looking for a friend of mine who seems to have disappeared on me." When he continued to eye her accusingly, however, she decided it was time to really improvise. "I know what you're thinking," she began, playing at annoyance. "You're looking at my hair and asking why it's so long when I'm _supposed_ to get it cut as part of my initiation into the navy. Well, I'm not exactly of the type of social class that usually enters the navy, but I wished to support my country in any way I could. However, my hair is important to several ceremonies concerning my entrance into womanhood and my initiation into the head of my family, so I requested that I may keep it as is. And my request was accepted, just as I gratefully accepted my term as an officer."

She was just about to continue her pointless banter when she finally received her desired effect. The young man had clearly lost interest in what she was saying and cut her off before she could say more. "Yes, I'm sure," he huffed. "Thank you for you service."

And he was gone.

She let out a sigh of relief before trumping off to the women's quarters. She had scoped out enough of the ship to execute their plan. Now she just needed to wait until night completely fell, and when that happened, she wanted to make sure she was in the right position.

* * *

It was dark, dark enough that one couldn't see much farther than one could reach. But Yoruichi seemed to have no problem with it as she crept through the small hallways leading toward the crowded men's quarters. She found the spot she was searching for, a plank of wood secured to the upper hull. She slid the plank away to reveal a small hole filled to the brim with explosives. She'd have to thank Mayuri for those later, but right now, she had a job to do. She took out a match, struck it against the wood of the ship, and lit the fuse.

And then she was out of there. After all, fireworks were best viewed from afar.

* * *

A resounding boom reverberated painfully in the space between Toushirou Hitsugaya's ears as he shot into an upright position. The entire ship was shaking, and there was a distinct slant to his floor. His eyes widened as he disentangled himself from his cot and ran up to the deck. All was chaos. His men were running everywhere trying to settle the ship, but it wouldn't stop rocking. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was wrong.

They were under attack.

And when a grappling hook latched itself onto the side of the ship, not inches from where Hitsugaya stood, he knew just how likely it was that they were going to survive this. They weren't. "Hitsugaya! Hitsugaya!" came a familiar wail from the other side of the ship as none other than Sixth Prince Hanatarou Yamada himself ran toward him. "What's going on?! Why is this happening?!"

"I told you!" Hitsugaya screamed in his frustration. "Pirates! They recognized the royal insignia and attacked!" He grabbed the prince's hand and dragged him across the deck to where several men seemed to be attempting a hasty debate. "Report!" he demanded, his voice sharp enough to be heard over all of the excitement.

"An explosion, sire!" one of the men, still looking rather shocked, quickly replied. "It killed at least half of our men and crippled the ship. We're going down, and we're being boarded! What the hell are we supposed to do?!"

Hitsugaya didn't know what to say. All he could do was stare at the wild-eyed man before him as the prince cowered at his side. What _were_ they supposed to do? They were all dead. And this hopeless daze of his wasn't going to change that, returned his reason. His eyes narrowed, and he clenched his fist as he met the Loyal eye to eye. "We fight back of course, you imbecile!" he shouted, waving his arm wildly at the panic aboard his ship. "Stop thinking, and start killing them! That's an order!"

The man saluted. "Y-Yes, sire!" he shouted. "You heard the man! Take your swords, and cut their ropes! If any of them make it over, kill them!"

* * *

Hanatarou was on the verge of fainting from sheer emotional overload. He was scared, excited, worried, and appalled all at the same time. The ship was rocking back and forth much more than it was supposed to be; strange, scary looking people were climbing up and over the side of their ship; and everyone around him was engaging in life or death battles. No, he told himself in his horror, they were fighting death or death battles. Death by sword, or death by ocean. And the worst part of it all was that Toushirou Hitsugaya was one of them.

That guy may bully him, yell at him, and call him a coward, but they had been together for a long time, and Hitsugaya had saved his life more than once. He didn't want to see him die. Not now. Not when they were so close…

He ducked through the fray, having miniature mental breakdowns every time a blade moved within a foot of his head. He kept his head down as far as he could muster, arms cupping it for dear life, all the while shouting the name of his companion. Finally his efforts were rewarded with a tuft of white hair dipping up and down as the person below it grappled with one of the invading pirates. Locked sword to sword, the two held a battle of physical strength and will before Hitsugaya tipped him over the edge. Hanatarou came running to his side, and he acknowledged him with a curt nod as he turned back to peer over the side. Hanatarou did not like the expression forming across the young man's face. Not one bit.

"H-Hitsugaya…" he trailed off, but he was interrupted by a very strange sight indeed.

One of the pirates, a peculiar man with no hair, was standing before them holding his sword out in front of him as he completed a sort of dance. "La-La-La-Lucky!" He repeated the chant a few more times as Hitsugaya and Yamada watched, not knowing what to think. "I've found the Prince! Today's my lucky day. Now surrender, kids, and I won't have to hurt you."

Finally, Hitsugaya smirked, and Hanatarou felt whatever bravery he may have ever had in his life dissipate instantly. "Not a chance," the white haired man replied.

He then proceeded to jump onto the railing, yank Hanatarou up with him by the wrist, and dive down into the ocean's roiling depths.

* * *

Chapter Two End


	3. Gin's Flowers

Alright. No beta-reader this time around. Sorry. I'm really slow, and I know it. And it's been way too long since I've written for my other stories... So I shall work on completing those volunteer hours as fast as humanly possible! ...After I figure out which colleges to apply for, actually apply for them, and do it all while maintaining a decent grade in my Spanish class.

Just kill me now. Please.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Gin's Flowers

* * *

Hitsugaya erupted from the frigid depths, eyes wide in hypothermic shock as he thrashed about the ocean's surface like a mad man. Wood and various other buoyant debris from the explosion that had crippled his galleon were floating everywhere, but it still took an incredible amount of effort for him to find and cling to one. Once he finally had, however, a very different obstacle took up its position as his top priority. His eyes darted left and right, frantically searching for his companion, perhaps the only person in the world who would actually let Hitsugaya drag him off to drown. And as such, he wasn't too keen on letting him do so. A floundering pair of arms working their absolute hardest to keep afloat signaled the end of that particular search as Hitsugaya hastily kicked the large piece of driftwood toward the prince and pulled Yamada's upper body on top of it.

"Are you alright?" he asked, only to receive an indignant glare from the sopping prince as his reply. He sighed. "If you're alright enough to hate me, than you're alright enough to swim."

"Where?!" Yamada spluttered incredulously, still not quite over the fact that he had just seen his entire life flash before his eyes.

"There, of course," Hitsugaya replied, pointing toward the looming pirate ship. "Where else? We're no where near close enough to the coast to swim back to land."

"B-b-but…!" he couldn't even think of the right words to describe the horror of what Hitsugaya had just suggested. Hadn't they just finished _running away_ from the pirates?

"Listen, they're boarding our ship, which means there won't be as many people on their own ship," the young man continued, doing his best to steer their make-shift life boat toward the large galleon. "We have no where else to go; this is our only option, the only choice that has even the slightest chance at survival. So why don't you stop complaining and start kicking already? Unless you'd prefer to drown?"

A new expression wiped out the prince's earlier, shocked and disbelieving one. In all honesty, he'd rather drown slowly and panicking than have to face the people who were currently in the process of murdering every single man aboard their ship. But he knew Hitsugaya too well to say so. In fact, the very thought made him feel ashamed. Shame was nothing new to him, but that didn't mean he enjoyed feeling that way. To think that he was so cowardly… Hitsugaya really was right when he said that. That was why he had agreed to stay by his side. Because Hitsugaya _wasn't_ a coward. He steeled his lips into a thin frown and, ignoring the freezing cold temperature of the water, began kicking his legs as vigilantly as he could muster.

They made it to the ship rather quickly, seeing as it wasn't in motion, and Hitsugaya began searching for any sort of handhold. No such luck. The pirate galleon, despite being visibly worn, was in surprisingly good shape. Someone on that stupid ship was certainly talented, not that this was any time to be complimenting his enemies. Just as he was about to try the other side of the ship, where it would be much easier for them to get caught up in the ensuing battles, Yamada pointed off to their right. "What's that?" he asked, squinting into the distance.

How the prince could see anything in this darkness Hitsugaya would never know, but he nodded nonetheless, and they headed in that direction. A glint of metal caught Hitsugaya's eye, and it wasn't hard for him to realize what Yamada had found. One of the grappling hooks was lodged into the side of the ship, its rope left uncut in light of the mayhem. He grinned as he turned to his companion. "I'll climb first. Follow directly behind me," he instructed. Yamada nodded. He hadn't wanted to go first anyway.

With that settled, the two began their climb, no small task considering they were scaling a galleon. The young servant tried to keep his mind occupied on what they could do when they came aboard. They would have to find a life boat if there was one. And if there wasn't one, well, he supposed bloated corpses would float just as well. His rather morbid line of thought was cut off, however, when they had neared the top and his curiosity got the better of him.

The rope they were scaling passed right over the ship's given name. It was probably painted in a dark red or blue color, but he couldn't tell in the lack of light. He could make out the letters though, and so he pulled his head back away from the wood in order to get a better view. What he found was not good. He halted, staring in awe at the name before him. Of all the people, of all the times, of all the damned coincidences that could have presented themselves to him right now, it had to be this one.

"Hitsugaya? Are you okay?" Yamada ventured his concern when Hitsugaya had stopped. But just as soon as he had spoken, the stubborn, persistent man immediately began climbing once again.

"I'm fine. We're almost there, so keep quiet. I think I hear voices toward the bow."

Yamada nodded even though Hitsugaya wasn't looking at him. He waited until his companion had gone over the railing completely before he too began to pull himself up onto the deck. Hitsugaya was looking around, obviously searching for something that would help. Yamada followed right behind.

"Dammit," Hitsugaya cursed under his breath. "Dammit. Dammit. Dammit."

He knew he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up; this was a pirate vessel after all. It wasn't military issued, so nothing would be in the same place. If there were any life boats on this ship, they weren't anywhere he could see in this darkness.

"He's got quite the mouth on him, hasn't he?"

Hitsugaya whirled around at the unexpected voice, his body moving instinctively in front of Yamada's. This side of the deck had been so eerily quiet, he had been sure that no one could have been there. Unless… "Dammit."

_They had been waiting for them. _

"Yeah. He is pretty mouthy."

"I would be too, if I had just been caught trespassing on someone else's property."

Three people stood before him, and all appeared to be armed. The one in the center was the only woman, so she must have been the one who had spoken first. Her face was concealed behind a hood of sorts attached to the tattered, cape-like cloak she wore. She looked as if she could hold her own, though her physical strength was probably lacking. A scimitar was situated comfortably at her waste. The second one to speak had been the man directly to her left. He appeared much more like the hand-to-hand type of opponent, having the muscle that the woman lacked though definitely not the brains. Obnoxious, red hair was tied up into a messy ponytail, and tribal tattoos adorned much of his body, visible through the white of his shirt. Slipped neatly into his belt was a large, twisted, East Indian kris the likes of which could only have come from Java itself. He also looked to have several guns hidden about himself. The third man, however, was the one who made Hitsugaya the most wary. He, like the woman, was obviously not the type who would purposely go around getting into fights, but unlike her, he had an aura about him that screamed he was the deadliest for his mind. A green and white striped bucket hat shaded playful, dark eyes that bored so deeply into his own he had to wonder if the man could read his mind. His weapon was a conspicuous English rapier.

"Well, I guess you were right, Kisuke," the woman smirked dryly. "We didn't have to do anything at all. They came right to us."

"Great minds think alike," he matched her smirk. "Which makes it all the easier for greater minds to find out what they're thinking."

"H-Hitsugaya…" the frightened prince drew closer to the young man in front of him. Hitsugaya could have kicked him as he saw the woman's brow rise.

"Hitsugaya, huh?" she asked. Their casual tones were really starting to grate on his nerves. "So that's the name of the famed 'pretty boy' who follows the prince around everywhere? It fits. What's your little friend's name?"

_Pretty boy…?_ The stressing servant forced himself to take a deep breath. Sure, he had lost the chance to use an alias, but if these people didn't even know the name of the Sixth Prince of Hueco Mundo, perhaps it wouldn't matter. He recognized the name of this ship; he knew what these people were after. If he was right and was able to keep the situation under control, they should be able to make it out of here with their lives intact. "His name is Hanatarou Yamada. But the likes of you may refer to him as _Prince_ Hanatarou Yamada," he replied, voice strained to stay calm. He felt Yamada grab hold of his wrist.

The one with the tattoos guffawed. "That scrawny little guy? Seriously?" He turned to face the woman, his glance questioning. "Rangiku, _this_ is who we went to all of that trouble for?"

"Yup," the woman replied without looking at him. She continued to stare at Hitsugaya for a moment longer before hopping down from the rise she had been standing on. "And now that they've introduced themselves, it would be rude of us not to do the same, right?" The rough one grunted something inaudible, but the other man seemed to find it incredibly amusing. The woman ignored them, taking another step closer to Hitsugaya and the prince before she continued, bowing mockingly. "I am Captain Rangiku Matsumoto, and these two are Renji Abarai and Kisuke Urahara. We will be your captors this evening."

"We don't intend to be captured by anyone, let alone a pathetic batch of worthless, scum-sucking pirates," Hitsugaya seethed, the grip around his wrist nearly cutting off his circulation.

"Pathetic, worthless, _and_ scum-sucking?" Kisuke Urahara cocked his head. "You really don't like us very much, do you?"

"Well, you have just doomed every man aboard my ship," he countered without missing a beat.

"As if you could call them _men_! Those monsters don't even deserve to be called animals!" an angry Renji suddenly burst, brandishing his fist.

"Kisuke…" the woman who had proclaimed herself captain muttered dangerously, and the blond replied by bashing his fist into the rowdy man's cranium and knocking him clear down to the floor. The following silence was deafening until, finally, Rangiku Matsumoto broke it in order to continue the introductions. "Well then. Now that that's been taken care of, it is my duty as your jailer to welcome you prisoners to our humble abode. So without further ado," she smirked as she lowered into a bow yet again, and Hitsugaya forced himself to stare apathetically on, "Welcome aboard the _Narcissus_."

Yamada almost fainted. Unfortunately, he didn't. "B-But isn't that … _Gin Ichimaru's_ ship?!"

"Hear that, Kisuke? We're famous," Matsumoto teased, straightening herself back to her full height in order to look down on her new captives.

"Infamous, more like," Urahara replied coolly. "Ol' Gin always was a bit of an attention grabber. His fatal flaw, I'm afraid, but it certainly made for an interesting night life."

Matsumoto snorted at this, and Hitsugaya decided it was high time to interrupt them again. He couldn't stand much more of this. His hand was numb from Yamada's grip, and that wasn't helping the fact that they were both soaking wet on a night like this. He could feel Yamada shivering into his back, and while he had always been able to withstand the cold, he wasn't keen on the idea of getting sick from exposure. Not on some pirate ship. "The _Narcissus_?" he scoffed. "You christened your ship after a flower? The daffodil, no less. Oh yes, I am truly frightened now. And what do you mean _you_ are the captain?" he added, turning his gaze to bore directly into the woman's masked eyes. "Clearly Ichimaru couldn't have been of his right mind if he chose you as his successor. Or perhaps _that_ was why he was so easily captured, hm?"

The woman's sword was at his throat so fast that it took a moment for him to realize she had moved at all. For several, apprehensive seconds nothing happened. She glared, deadly, pale eyes just visible beneath her hood, and he mirrored her hatred with his own teal green. Finally, she pushed him back into Yamada and sheathed her sword. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"And you're going to try to trade the prince for Ichimaru? I may not know His Highness well, but I do know that he's not one to share."

"Take them to a cell. Make sure it's uncomfortable."

"Aye, aye, little missy!" Kisuke Urahara chimed, firmly grabbing hold of the captives and dragging them down below deck as he began to hum. Hitsugaya bit his lip and prepared himself for the long ride home.

And by the way things were shaping up, it would be a very, very long ride.

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto waited until Kisuke and the prisoners were out of sight before turning on Renji. He was just now getting back to his feet, cradling his head indignantly. Before he could regain himself completely, however, she had already grabbed at his shirt, pulling him forward to meet her face to face. "How dare you say something like that?!" she rasped. "If we start thinking like that, then we're no better than they are!"

"But it's true, and you know it," the redhead snarled in return. "They're the ones that started that wretched war; they're the ones that started _every_, bloody war! They're the ones who want to steal everything they can get their greedy hands on. They're the ones who did this to you and Gin! They all deserve to rot in hell."

"You idiot!" she cried out as she slammed him against the wood. "You of all people should know better than that! Now that the drafts are in full effect, plenty of those Loyals were just some kids trying to live long enough to see their parents again! And whether they believe in what they're fighting for or not, they're still human beings! What about Gin?! What if they kill Gin before we can make the exchange?! What would we do then? It's the same thing!" She dropped the hem of his shirt, letting him droop slightly against the wooden beam. With one last huff, she stormed off to call back the other men before the Loyals' ship sank completely, leaving him with one final stinger to top off the already gaping wound. "Have you already forgotten about Rukia?"

He watched her leave, sliding down the beam until he was sitting on the deck. "Heh…" he trailed off, cupping his head in his palm. "At least Kuchiki didn't hear that. He'd have skinned me alive…." A heavy sigh, a grinding of his teeth, and he was up on his feet again.

"Well, I had better help her out. There's no way Zaraki and his men are gonna listen to her with a ship full of Loyals' to play with."

And so he followed, refusing to acknowledge the single, salty tear that had smeared into his palm. Now was not the time.


	4. Believers and Deserters

No beta reader again. I don't know if any of the chapters from this point on will be beta read. Too many bad experiences... Anyway, this chapter is sort of like the last set-up chapter before finally getting into the real story. So look for hints. Lots of 'em.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Believers and Deserters

* * *

The rusted cell was dark and damp, not the ideal environment for two, soaking wet prisoners. But at least the be-hatted man had had enough decency to offer them some blankets to protect against the biting cold. Yamada had wrapped his entire body in the coarse cloth, still shivering from the exposure. Hitsugaya, in contrast, was up and about, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of their newest cage. It didn't have many weaknesses. And even if it had, he didn't have the resources to exploit any of them. Despite all of his bravado, he was utterly helpless. And Yamada's loud shivering wasn't helping in the slightest.

His scowl more than prominent upon his lips, he took the blanket he had draped around his shoulders and tossed it at the freezing prince. Yamada looked from the blanket to Hitsugaya and back to the blanket before finally accepting the gift in silence. He could see the goose bumps climbing up the servant's arms but refused to bring it up. He knew Hitsugaya better than that. The silence continued for a while longer, with both captives returning to their prior thoughts until Yamada finally gained the courage to speak up.

"Um … Hitsugaya?" he hesitantly began, and when Hitsugaya didn't immediately tell him to be quiet, he continued. "Do you think they'll figure it out?"

"Figure what out?"

"That you lied."

The two grew quiet once more, Hitsugaya staring fixedly at the bars in the exact opposite direction of his companion. "I suppose it's inevitable," he affirmed, his tone cold and unaffected. "But it doesn't matter. I wasn't expecting something like this to consume us. I should have considered it, but there's nothing I can do now."

"Do you think they'll be … mad?"

Hitsugaya whirled around to face Yamada, teal eyes flashing with incredulity. "Don't tell me you feel _guilty_ for lying to a couple of greedy _pirates_!" he spat. "Who cares what they think?! Whether I lied or not doesn't change our situation or theirs. They killed all of those men just to get to us; don't you dare forget that. They don't deserve your guilt."

"We've killed people too," the prince replied darkly, sinking his chin deeper into the blankets.

"It's not the same," Hitsugaya quickly assured.

"How is it any different?"

"They don't know what the hell they're doing. They have no idea what they're up against. They just do whatever the hell they want and think that everything will end in their favor," the servant growled, clenching his fist before turning his attention back to the bars to signal the end of their discussion.

"And _they_ don't feel any guilt for you to deserve."

* * *

Renji Abarai trudged across the deck, searching over people's heads for a certain, striped bucket hat. He had never been able to find Urahara when he needed him, and it looked like today would be no different. Just when he was about to chuck it all and ask Yoruichi instead, however, was when the man finally decided to show himself. Annoying prick. Renji barely caught sight of the bobbing hat ducking down below deck and, with a resigned sigh, took off after it.

"Yo, Urahara!" he shouted, just as the man rounded a corner. "I've got a question."

"I know." Renji jumped, both in surprise and in an attempt not to run the man over, seeing as he had apparently decided that stopping right around the corner would be a good idea. "I just wanted to make you work for it, eh?" His smug grin was not helping Renji's temper at all. "You want to know why little Princey has a different surname than his daddy, right?"

Renji frowned. "How'd you know?"

"Because Rangiku asked me the same exact question four and a half hours ago. Congratulations. That is the difference in your intelligences," Urahara chimed, oblivious to Renji's failing efforts at staying calm.

"So answer the stupid question then."

"Well, if you must know," he smirked, switching easily to know-it-all lecture mode, "you'll have to understand a bit of Hueco Mundo's culture. The kingdom's economy is a war economy; it thrives off of the sales war offers it. But with war comes a need for soldiers and therefore a need for propaganda. King Aizen is quite serious about such things, as were his predecessors. And so, to promote a pride in serving the militia, an extremely important tradition was put in place." Urahara's habit of beating around the bush was definitely something Renji did not approve of, but for once he wasn't complaining. It was strange, thinking about the enemy as if they weren't really the enemy, analyzing them to figure out why they made the cruel decisions they did. It reminded him of what Rangiku had scolded him about the night before. "A coming-of-age ceremony, if you will," the blonde continued. "When a child is born in Hueco Mundo, he is christened solely with a first name. Only when he enters the military on his sixteenth birthday is he allowed to choose a surname for himself. It signifies the fact that he is finally his own person. Ironic, isn't it? As soon as they gain an identity, they must sell it to their country. And the prince is no exception."

They had started to walk again, resuming the path Kisuke had taken up before Renji had stopped him. "Sounds stupid," the red head grunted, keeping to himself his doubts that the scrawny prince could have ever served in the military. "They're all too blind to see they're being used."

"I don't think so." Renji frowned at Urahara's far-away expression. "Isn't the search for one's identity a journey we all strive to complete? They're just more willing to sacrifice for it. Whether through a career path, a philosophy, or a partner, the search for an identity is their life's work. But that is what I most admire about them; so often they find themselves through the eyes of a companion. It's why they take loyalty and trust so seriously."

"And it's why they want to kill us," came the skeptical reply.

"Well, yes," Urahara offered a wry grin as they finally reached his study. "We are not loyal, and so we do not deserve to live. But you already know that much, eh, Renji?" His grin only widened as he reached for the door. "Or is that _Lieutenant Abarai_?"

"Are you two gonna stand out there philosophizing all day, or are you gonna get in here and help us out?"

"Coming, Yoruichi, my love!" he called out in a nauseatingly sweet voice before finally entering the room, Renji in tow. Within the familiar quarters riddled with books, maps, and towers of handwritten records sat a very impatient Rangiku, a rather amused Yoruichi, and a slightly harrowed Shuuhei. Urahara's smirk did nothing for the captain, but Yoruichi's amusement seemed to increase tenfold as he flounced overdramatically toward the map-laden desk. "And how may this humble navigator be of service?"

"Humble. Right," Renji scowled, the sarcasm more than apparent in his voice.

"We have a choice between two possible routes, but we can't agree on one," Shuuhei interrupted. "This is supposed to be your job, is it not?"

"Very well then," the blond man nodded. "So. Would you rather die by Loyal or by sea?"

Shuuhei frowned. "You haven't even looked at the map. What're you talking about?"

"Why, dear Shuuhei, I'm hurt," he pouted, looking nothing of the sort. "I've long since memorized all the maps and routes. This is supposed to be my job, is it not?"

"Of course it is," Yoruichi smirked, speaking up in an attempt to preserve what was left of Shuuhei's dignity. "Which is why you're here. But-"

"Why don't you stop gloating and help us choose a route?" Rangiku finished.

"That's what I was trying to do," Kisuke whined. "Look, what are the two routes?"

Shuuhei let out a defeated sigh before grabbing a quill and outlining the paths along the map; even he couldn't argue with Urahara for long. The problem was that no matter how right you knew you were, Urahara was always more so. Why else would Ichimaru have chosen him? "Alright. The first route, the one Shihouin and I agree on, is the less direct route. It's longer because it traces the coast upward and goes around Seireitei entirely before heading south for Hueco Mundo. It would take more time and we would encounter more ships, but it's still safer than the other choice. The second route cuts straight through the currents below Seireitei and heads directly to Resurección, their largest port. There won't be any interference from other ships, but there's a reason no one sails there. The area is known for its intense, spontaneous storms, and we can _shoot_ at ships." He shot a purposeful glare at Rangiku at his last statement, but she seemed to be the only one who didn't notice.

"Time is the most important factor right now," she snarled. "If we stop to consider any others, we waste it. Who knows what they've done to him? And what they _will_ do when he doesn't give them anything they want!"

"And so it all comes down to this: Would you rather die by Loyal or by sea?" Kisuke repeated, his triumphant smirk almost too much for Renji to bear.

"By sea," the lady captain replied without hesitation.

"By sea," Yoruichi grew a grin to match the navigator's.

"By sea," Renji added firmly, just for good measure.

"By sea," finally grumbled the grudging, dark-haired man, an exasperated sigh upon his lips at having been outdone once again. "I'll be damned if I let some Loyal be the one to off me. Fine. But if we do die, I blame you all."

"Hey, I didn't say anything," Urahara chuckled. "You're the one who agreed." But at Shuuhei's return scowl, he suddenly remembered something. "Oy, weren't you in charge of preparing the prisoners' food?"

"Well, I was," Shuu muttered, still not happy with the blonde, "but then Kuchiki told me to help here. Said he'd do it himself."

"What?" Renji balked.

"Yeah, I know. I guess he wanted to talk to them or something. Doesn't sound like him at all, does it?"

"Is he still in the kitchens?"

"Should be."

And with that, he left, leaving Shuuhei to grumble about how everyone was going insane.

Rangiku looked at the vacant doorway with interest. "Does Byakuya think … they might know something?"

"I doubt it's as simple as that," Kisuke smirked. "But then, it may be something even simpler."

* * *

Hitsugaya and Hanatarou watched silently as Byakuya Kuchiki approached the crisscrossed metal that separated him from the two prisoners, Renji following him with a tray of dry food. The captives sat together in a corner, obviously having been engaged in a heated discussion that cut off the moment Kuchiki entered. The prince's dark eyes wandered to the food tray, lips parting slightly to make way for a parched tongue. Hitsugaya, however, was staring at Kuchiki intently, ignoring Abarai altogether. "I don't recognize you," he finally iterated, his voice cold. "I take it you were among those who boarded my ship and murdered my men."

Kuchiki was silent as he took the tray from Renji, unlocked a small slit in the iron, and slid the tray into the cell before sitting cross-legged before them. He watched as Hanatarou looked hesitantly at his companion before crawling over to the tray and sniffing a loaf of bread. With a huff Hitsugaya followed, sitting himself directly in front of Kuchiki and picking up one of the mugs filled with murky water.

Kuchiki eyed the boy before him for a moment longer before finally speaking. "You, even though you claim the ship and men who died upon it as your own, your first and only thought was of escape. You did not go down with your vessel as any other man in your position would have done; you ran away."

"Don't speak of my position as if you know it," came the deep throated reply. "I had to protect the prince; above all, he at least must survive."

"So that is your excuse?"

"That is my _purpose_."

Hanatarou Yamada turned anxiously from Hitsugaya to Kuchiki and back to Hitsugaya, munching away at the bread in his hand as if his life depended on it. He noticed the man Matsumoto had introduced as Renji Abarai doing much the same, frowning at the conversation that excluded him. He didn't like this person very much; every subtle insult made him wince.

"The sole purpose of the Loyal is to serve Hueco Mundo's king." Kuchiki's eyes never left the boy's own teal.

"And protecting the life of his son is not serving him?" At Kuchiki's silence, his lips curved into an even deeper scowl. "I see you've had the pleasure of making our esteemed ruler's acquaintance."

"…You speak of your king's esteem with sarcasm."

"You have no right to criticize, pirate," Hitsugaya spat in return. "You speaking of loyalty and purpose to me is a damnable hypocrisy."

"Kuchiki," Abarai spoke up for the first time, glaring at Hitsugaya through the cell's bars, "why the hell are you listening to this ba… What's wrong with you?"

The moment Renji had opened his mouth, Hanatarou had dropped the cup he had been drinking from, its contents pooling around the broken shards. "Did you say … Kuchiki?" he barely managed, eyes wide and staring at the pale, dark haired man before him with a new understanding.

Kuchiki's brow rose ever so slightly as Renji's scowl grew. "What of it?"

Hitsugaya cut in once again, preventing Hanatarou from answering. "The Kuchiki clan, one of the four noble families of Seireitei who serve in the king's court." His voice was even colder than it had been before, and Hanatarou whirled around to face him instead. Oh, no. This would not end well. "So you're not only a hypocrite, you're a traitor."

Renji moved in to swing at the young man through the bars, but to everyone's surprise, Hanatarou acted first. "Hitsugaya!" he shouted hoarsely, red-faced in his anger. "You can't talk to him like that! He's-!"

"I know what he is!" Hitsugaya hissed before jerking his head back to their visitors, raising himself as tall as he could in order to look down on them with as much superiority as he could muster. "He's a pathetic nobleman who left his family and sold his soul to the government! And when that didn't work out for him, he defected to some sad pirate crew so that he wouldn't have to come crying home a failure!"

Hanatarou didn't know what to do. Sure, Hitsugaya was always irritated, but this was different. This was a rage Hanatarou had rarely witnessed. And though he doubted yelling and insulting the nobleman would do any good, he could understand why Hitsugaya wanted to. He had never thought he'd meet this man, the man who-

"I don't deny it."

"What?!" Renji burst when he heard the unaffected words leave Kuchiki's lips. But Kuchiki only continued to stare Hitsugaya down, despite the fact that the prisoner was now standing.

"I served longer than was required and gained a high rank for my efforts. Abarai was my direct subordinate. I served for the betterment of Seireitei, and I willingly obeyed every order. It was too long before I realized that some orders should never be followed, and so when I finally understood, I had already done too much to return home and forget. But if my chosen path brands me as a hypocrite and traitor, then what, pray tell, are you?"

Hitsugaya's voice was strained as he glared down at Kuchiki, the hatred he felt obvious within every syllable. "I am the blood-stained blade that your kind raises when you don't want to dirty your precious, untainted hands."

"I see." Kuchiki was quiet for a moment as he once again opened the metal slit and slid the tray back out of the cell. Handing it back to Abarai, he turned to them one last time. "Your despisal of my person defies language in its intensity. I shall not return."

"No, you won't," came the unexpected reply, and Kuchiki paused against his will. "You never planned to, did you?"

Hanatarou sighed as they left without saying more. "Hitsugaya…"

"I won't tell these people the truth, but I won't pretend for them either."

The prince pouted but said nothing. What was there to say?

* * *

"What was that?" Abarai demanded, frowning at his stoic superior.

"That boy isn't who he says he is."

"What?"

Byakuya's apathetic mask remained despite the fact that his mind was churning at impossible speeds. That boy's words refused to leave him be. Every word, every phrase, every glint in those icy eyes held a depth within them that did not breach the surface. It was beyond frustrating.

"_I am the blood-stained blade that your kind raises when you don't want to dirty your precious, untainted hands."_

"_No, you won't. You never planned to, did you?"_

"They're hiding something," he replied.

"Who isn't?"

* * *

Chapter Four End


	5. Storm Fishing

Finally. This one's a bit short, but I like the ending, and I'm evil, so this is what you get.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Storm Fishing

* * *

"The sky is clouding over," Yoruichi Shihouin pointed out absently, leaning further back against the main mast. "And the waves are growing rougher. We'll be hit hard tonight."

"That's to be expected, is it not?" Kisuke Urahara chimed as he stepped up beside her. "Shuuhei did say 'intense storms' after all."

"I wonder how much the ship will be able to take…."

"The ship can take it, and any parts that can't have Shuuhei to fix them. The question is not whether the ship can take it. The question is whether _we_ can take it."

Yoruichi grinned. Kisuke and his rhetorics… "You know, if we lost Shuu to the storm, then the ship wouldn't make it."

Kisuke grew a grin to match his companion's, wryly shaking his head as if he couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Why, my dear Yoruichi, I do believe you've outdone me."

"Hardly," she chastised in return. "You know as well as I do that we'd never lose Shuu to a storm. You're just trying to flatter me. And doing a poor job of it, I might add."

"Caught again! Woe is me!" he exclaimed, emphasizing the words with overdramatic hand motions. "You are indeed a formidable opponent!"

"And you're quite the brownnoser," she smirked.

"This nose is going to rule the world some day."

His wry grin only grew as he drew closer and he heard Yoruichi mutter wickedly just before he met her lips.

"Sounds fun."

* * *

Byakuya Kuchiki stepped into one of the larger recreation rooms, dubbed such as they had no real purpose other than holding people when they had nothing else to do. So it was no surprise to him when the room seemed to be holding a great number of people who weren't doing anything at all. Those with any sort of status aboard the ship would be staying inside as long as possible with such a storm raging outside.

"Yo," echoed the familiar voice of one Kenpachi Zaraki.

He turned to face the burly man, expression vacant. "Zaraki," he stated simply, as close to a greeting as he was willing to get in front of the man.

"I hear you've seen the prisoners, huh?" Kenpachi smirked. "What're they like?"

"Why not see for yourself?"

"Rangiku's still mad that we played with the Loyals so long; she won't let me see 'em."

"When has an order ever stopped you?" Kuchiki retorted evenly.

Zaraki's smirk only grew. "I don't want to waste my time with prey that isn't worth it."

"Then you shouldn't waste your time. One would be too fearful and the other too wary to face you. If you were to challenge them in their current situation, they would merely run." The larger man's smirk instantly disappeared, but it seemed Kuchiki was in an uncharacteristically talkative mood and when he continued it sauntered right back to its place upon the man's lips. "If you were to arm them, however, I could not say the same."

"Were they that incorrigible?" came Soifon's drawl from behind Zaraki's bulk. "They seemed civil enough from Yoruichi's description. Why go out of your way to sic Zaraki on them?"

Kuchiki did not reply, so Renji Abarai decided to do so for him. "That depends on your definition of 'civil,'" he snorted.

"Do try to remember," the stern voice of Retsu Unohana drowned out the others, "that they were only recently plucked off of their own ship and thrown into a cell to be used as hostages. I doubt my patience would be infinite either, especially with my captors."

An uncomfortable silence followed, leaving only the sound of rain pounding on wood as the men and women within the room contemplated her statement. Kenpachi ended it as he stood up, mindful of the increased rocking of the ship, "Hmph. It ain't our job to think; we just do what we have to."

"That is the attitude instilled in the Loyal officers," Kuchiki replied, voice carefully devoid of emotion, "when they are expected to complete a particularly distasteful task."

"What're you implying?" the gruff anger with which he spoke made it clear it was less of a question and more of a challenge.

But before anyone could step in and stop them, a deafening crack bounded through the walls, shaking the entire galleon before the room began to tilt dangerously on its side. Everyone scrambled to get a hold on something, watching in awe as neither Zaraki nor Kuchiki moved an inch. Unohana had only just stepped up to scold them about fighting at a time like this when the door crashed open to reveal Shuuhei Hisagi panting in the doorway.

"The fore-mast just cracked! Rangiku wants all of your asses on deck _now_!"

* * *

Hanatarou Yamada crouched up against the wood wall of the cell, staring across the way at Toushirou Hitsugaya who had seated himself against the crisscrossed iron at the opposite end. Water leaked through constantly making it impossible to get warm, and the unabashed waves rocked him into perpetual seasickness. Captain Matsumoto had ordered them placed somewhere uncomfortable, and she had been obeyed.

"Nobody's come down for a long time. I wonder what's happening up there…" he finally muttered, pulling his knees up closer to his chin.

"They'll all be fighting the storm by now. They must be taking the short route, the fools; there is a reason the Loyals avoid it. These brainless pirates will kill us all."

Hanatarou had been about to reply when a resounding noise that sounded disturbingly like wood shattering atop their heads bellowed through the damp walls just before the fore-mast crashed right through the ceiling. Both prisoners ducked to the ground in a hasty attempt to avoid the flying debris, but they only ended up being tossed about as the ship tilted near to its side with the force of the blow. Rain and wind began to soar through the new opening, drenching the already bruised and battered hostages. As Hanatarou peaked out at the wreckage, he had the sudden sinking sensation that the damp, rocking cell had been a heaven-on-earth compared to this. Were all of the pirates up there in that storm?

"Hitsugaya, we-" he stopped when he realized what his companion was doing. Hitsugaya was already halfway up the splintering spar, climbing toward the opening and out into the raging storm. "Hitsugaya!"

The servant refused to cease his climb, not even bothering to look back to the frustrated prince. "If we do die here, I won't let it be in a damned cell!"

Hanatarou didn't bother arguing. Any protests would only meet deaf ears. And so with a huff of his own, he struggled up after him.

* * *

Hitsugaya tore through the frantic masses of people on deck, all trying to complete their tasks without being carried away by the wind. All was chaos, and even those in charge didn't seem to know what they were doing. Only a select few were being truly productive, and when Hitsugaya came upon them, they were none too picky about where he had come from.

"Oy! You! Can you handle a sail?!" The question was barked at him from the side, and he turned to meet a young woman, most likely of Chinese descent, who was soaked through to her core and yet still managed to appear threatening. He could handle a sail, certainly, but he had never done so in weather like this. He weighed his options, and with a grim frown, he nodded. "Then get your ass to the mizzen-mast! Zaraki can't handle the whole damn ship himself!"

Hitsugaya had no idea who or where Zaraki was, but he knew where the mizzen-mast was. He forced everyone out of his way, regardless of what they looked to be doing. He could see the sail that needed attention, the mizzen topgallant. It was no wonder the galleon had been so susceptible to the storm's merciless waves with an open sail at that height. What were these idiots doing?! This should have been taken care of as soon as they had known the storm would come! Why were they so slow to react?!

It didn't take long before he regretted asking. The sheer amount of activity on deck was more than enough reason to slow down everyone's progress. Every member of the crew seemed determined to play his part, and somehow that seemed to include getting in his way. That wasn't even considering the many ropes that would tighten right in front of him and nearly trip him as the pirates they were attached to ran this way and that. While Yamada may have insisted that they were all just trying to help save the ship, Hitsugaya was not quite as forgiving. The thought occurred to him that he had nothing to secure himself to the ship, but he forced that train of thought aside when he finally came upon his destination.

A dark, muscular man, unfazed by the thrashing rain turned away from his work to give him a hasty once over before grunting, "Soifon send you?" Soifon sounded Chinese enough to match the woman so he nodded, assuming this could be none other than Zaraki. "Then haul your ass in that seat, and I'll take ya up." The seat in question was more of a shoddily nailed together mass of planks than anything else, and the sight made him considerably less willing to take orders. But his wounded pride combated his anxiety when the man growled, "You getting in or am I going to hafta shove ya in?"

He was not about to suffer the indignity of being tossed around by anyone, even if the man was over two meters tall.

The seat creaked dangerously when he sat down, eyes focused on Zaraki's smirk as he reached for the right rope and yanked. He shot upward so quickly that he had to grab the side of the seat to keep himself from falling right off, and once he was high enough to get to work, the balancing act became even more difficult. Wind and rain hailed him from all sides, and in a fit of cruel irony he realized he was yet again running around a pirate ship soaking wet in the dead of night. Unfortunately, this was no time to be questioning his lot in life, so he shook the thought from his mind and tried to focus on the sail. This was not easy though, seeing as the particular rope he needed to grab hold of was being thoroughly uncooperative.

Seeing no point in thinking about safety now, he carefully stood and grasped the rope to keep what little balance he could, making a point not to look down as the seat jerked him in the wind. He paid little attention to what was happening below him as he maneuvered the ropes to pull the thrashed sails out of the wind, but when a single call echoed across the deck, passed from man to man, he couldn't help but catch it.

"Coming about! Coming about!"

His eyes widened in shock, a knot forming in his stomach as he realized what was about to happen. "Shi-!"

The ship veered sharply left.

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto had taken up her station on the bridge, hands on the helm with Renji Abarai behind her as support against the storm. It was hard to hold the wheel steady with the battering the ship was receiving, but she wasn't about to admit defeat. She had been the one to push this route as their chosen course, after all. And she still very much believed that it had been the right choice.

She steered her sight up into the sky, shielding her eyes against the elements with one hand. But instead of seeing the bleak, dark grey storm clouds she had been expecting, she was surprised to see a tuft of white.

"Renji!" she shouted over the storm. "Do you see that?"

She watched as the man looked over her head to the top of the mizzen-mast, matching himself to her line of sight. He gasped. "What in hell…?"

"So I'm not imagining it."

"What is _he_ doing up there?!" Renji snarled.

"I think … he's freeing the sail."

Her musings were cut short when she felt the wind change, now driving the rain directly into her face from the front. This was no good; they had to get back out of the wind's path. "Renji!" she called. "We need to change course!"

"Coming about!" he roared to anyone who could hear as he grabbed the helm to brace her. Acknowledgement hailed from every direction, and with a curt nod, they spun the wheel. The ship took a sharp turn out of the wind's path, tilting the galleon for the umpteenth before everything settled once more.

"Damn it!" Renji hissed unexpectedly into her ear drum. "He wasn't tied down!"

Rangiku couldn't believe her ears, eyes widening as she jerked her head upward. The hostage had one foot still pushing against the seat, the other limp as he clung to the mizzen topgallant's rope against the merciless winds. She knew what would happen before it did, saw it before it happened. Frantically, she pushed away from Renji, ignoring his frustrated protests.

She bolted, struggling with her blade. She unsheathed it and cut her own rope securing her to her ship.

The ropes around him twisted, whipping about with no regard for the life hanging in the balance. One lashed his stomach, another his wrist.

He fell.

She hit the railing, her upper body thrust forward. She stretched out her hand.

And she caught something.


	6. Same Difference

The longest chapter yet. Consider it my apology for yet another long wait.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Same Difference

* * *

Hanatarou Yamada looked frantically about the deck. Rain, wind, and debris flew everywhere, only making it harder to see where he was going and virtually impossible to find who he was looking for. Well, he tried to reassure himself, as long as Hitsugaya didn't run off and do something really, really stupid, they'd all be just fine, right? They'd get through this storm, make it to Hueco Mundo, trade places with Ichimaru, and live happily ever after, right? Hitsugaya would never put himself in mortal danger when they were so close to their goals, right? Right?

A loud scream, agonizing even through the muffled jarble of noise all across the deck, immediately brought him back to the reality. Whatever Hitsugaya was doing, he wasn't doing it here. He couldn't do anything for him if he didn't even know where he was. But someone else was in trouble whom Yamada _could_ help. The young prince whirled around and rushed off in the direction he had heard the sound.

He didn't have to go far. At the other end of the fallen fore-mast, a large group had gathered and was in the middle of trying to lift the large, wooden spar. Yamada squeezed his way in. In the center of the huddle, one of the pirates was on the ground; his arm was trapped beneath the spar. Hanatarou saw no blood, but the arm was obviously crushed, and the man's position left him extremely vulnerable to the rain and to other people. He was surprised at the progress they'd made with the fallen fore-mast, but he could see it was a lost cause. With the storm going on, they could hardly lift it more than a centimeter or so, and every time it moved, the man howled in pain.

For a moment, he was stunned, staring blankly at the man's arm, but the next scream of agony brought him back to his senses. He clenched his jaw as he realized what he'd have to do and got right to work. "I need clean water, alcohol, a blade, and bandages! Now! It's impossible to move that spar in this storm; we have to amputate if we want him to have any chance to live!"

A man from the crowd, blonde hair hiding one of his eyes and half of his serious frown, nodded once and immediately began to run off, but another stopped him. "Kira, you idiot! Can't you see who that is?" he scowled at Yamada through the rain, scrutinizing the royal robes he wore, still easily recognizable despite their worn condition. "That Hueco Mundo scum doesn't deserve to give orders to anyone on this ship! He deserves to be hanged!"

Hanatarou puffed out his cheeks in indignation. These stupid robes weren't worth the effort. And he was too tired and too wet to deal with more of this far-too-familiar scorn. "If we don't hurry, this man will _die_! But what does it matter to me? I'm just Hueco Mundo scum." Perhaps he'd just been with Hitsugaya for too long, but when the other man flinched and the first yanked his hand away before taking off once more, he felt a little better.

"You obviously care quite a bit." The voice crept up unexpectedly behind him as two hands settled gently on his shoulders. He whirled around to meet the smiling face of a woman, black hair braided strangely around her neck and down her front. "Little Prince." Yamada flushed. "Well? You heard the young man," the woman continued, now addressing the surrounding group of pirates. "Kira's gone for water and alcohol. We still need a knife and bandages." And, as if by magic, the group disbursed.

He looked back up at the mysterious woman. "Er … Thank you."

But instead of replying with a "you're welcome" like he'd expected, she bowed. His blush only brightened. "Retsu Unohana, at your service, Little Prince. You may want to feed the patient the herbs you're hiding in your inner pocket. I doubt he'll want to be awake for this."

Hanatarou's eyes widened, and he quickly began shuffling through his robes for the herbs. He had completely forgotten they were there. When he felt them, the slightest bump protruding from the volumes of fabric, he smiled.

_These pirates were amazing._

* * *

Toushirou Hitsugaya could do nothing but stare up past his aching arm at the person who was currently holding it, the very last person he would have expected to save his life. Captain Rangiku Matsumoto. A pirate. He now owed his life to a pirate. _No_, his mind hastily supplied. Pirates operated outside of rules and morals, which meant that they didn't apply to them. He owed her nothing. Still, that was hard to believe while he was still hanging over the edge of the ship.

Finally, she seemed to snap out of her own daze and began to pull him up. But just when he was able to reach the top of the rail, one of the many waves crashing against the ship decided to sweep up from right behind him. The galleon shook, the force of the impact toppling both of them back onto the deck.

For a moment, Hitsugaya didn't know what had happened or even where he was. He couldn't see a thing. But when he heard the distinct sound of a racing heartbeat coming from somewhere near his right ear, reality hit like a ton of bricks.

He yanked his head backward, escaping the mounds of flesh with a desperate gasp for air. His eyes were wide as they stared into the half-clothed, luscious valley that had nearly suffocated him, but when he saw her equally surprised expression just barely peeking out from beneath her sopping hood, he instantly altered his own. A single brow raised as a wry smirk upturned the edges of his lips. He was well aware that cockiness was the worst emotion he could possibly display at a time like this, but experience had taught him that the worst reaction one could have was often times the best reaction to choose.

"You know," he began calmly, "if _that_ was what you were after all this time, you didn't have to kidnap us. You could have just asked."

"Hardly," the woman pouted as she hastily got to her feet. This wasn't an easy task with the storm still raging like it was. "Boys like you can only dream of being the men I go to bed with."

Hitsugaya followed suit, steadying himself with the slippery rail. "And how many of those steerage 'men' were actually able to pay for your services?"

"How did you get out of your cell?!" she shouted, apparently not in the mood for any more insults. He grimaced and pointed toward the fallen fore-mast. She scanned the area through the rain until she came to the newly formed hole in the deck before quickly turning back to him. "Then where is the Prince?"

"It isn't my duty to drag him with me wherever I go."

"Of course it is!" she admonished in exasperation. "You're his protector, aren't you? No mere servant would be as commanding and arrogant as you!"

"Well I've heard that women are supposed to be motherly and kind, but that wasn't true either, was it?"

"If he dies before this storm ends, I will hold you responsible," she seethed, icy eyes glaring down at him.

Hitsugaya matched the glare with equal intensity. "If he dies before this storm ends, people much more intimidating than a few pathetic pirates will hold _you_ responsible."

"Threatening me with your superiors? That's noble."

"I am not noble," he countered without hesitation. "And he won't die."

The busty captain paused, brows furrowing as she digested this information. Biting her lip, she looked up at the mizzen topgallant, the sail now safe from the rushing winds, and then slowly lowered her gaze back to him. "You did that." It wasn't a question. Hitsugaya didn't answer.

"So, what else can you do?"

* * *

"What a beautiful morning. It's hard to believe a night as ugly as that could become something so pleasant."

"Right. Whatever."

Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa were leaning against the rail of the ship, soaking in the morning's sun. The waves had mellowed shortly before the sun began to rise, and the storm had ceased entirely several hours ago. But despite the fact that the weather had finally calmed, the deck of the _Narcissus _remained as hectic as ever.

"Kenpachi!" snarled one Captain Rangiku Matsumoto as she stalked around the mountain that was Zaraki and a small, pink-haired child who clung blissfully to his shoulders. "You were supposed to be in the crow's nest last night, keeping a look out! Now, tell me, what were you doing down below deck while Yachiru was running around _drunk _on your shift!?"

The little girl, still gripping Kenpachi Zaraki's shirt as if her life depended on it, decided to answer for him. "Kenny said he was bored so I said we should do something fun but he said he had watch the water and I said that was why he was bored and that he should drink some of that stuff that always makes him happier but he said he couldn't do it while I was there so I said I'd drink some too and he said fine but only a little and so he let me have a little and I was so happy and I felt all warm and fuzzy in my insides so I told him I'd watch the water for him and he said okay but only for a minute and so I did!"

"You left _Yachiru_ on watch all alone?!" Matsumoto bellowed.

Zaraki grunted, unfazed by the woman captain as he dug his finger in his ear. "I didn't leave her up there long, and I don't see what all the fuss is about. We made it through, didn't we? Doesn't matter now."

"Doesn't matter? Doesn't matter?! Because of you, we weren't prepared! We lost the fore-mast; there's a gaping hole in the deck; and there are so many people in the sick bay that Unohana doesn't know what to do with them all!"

"Oh, brave warrior Zaraki! Our hearts are with you, even though our physical bodies would prefer to keep their distance!" Yumichika sighed, complete with showy hand motions.

Ikkaku snorted. "She's really angry this time. Almost as bad as that first night. Almost as loud too."

"Is she ever _not_ angry?"

"Well, not so much anymore. But she could have taken Yachiru on a run for her money back before those bastards bur-!" Yumichika began before it sunk in exactly who had asked the question. He whirled around, eyes wide. "Oy!"

"What are you doing here?!" Ikkaku growled.

Hitsugaya smirked at their reactions. "It's nice to see you again too. I'm glad you made it through the storm," he replied, obviously not anything of the sort. "Actually, I'm looking for someone. A couple of centimeters taller than me. Black hair. Royal robes."

"Twitchy's down with the doctor lady!" squealed a high pitched voice just before the little girl who had been clinging to Zaraki pounced atop of Ikkaku's head and promptly bit down.

"Gah! Yachiru! Geddoff!"

"Is that where he is?" Matsumoto cut in as Zaraki plucked Yachiru off of Ikkaku. She turned to Hitsugaya, none-too-pleased. "Kisuke is charting a course for a safe port in southern Hueco Mundo. This ship takes priority over everything else. Until we dock, I will allow you and the Prince free reign as long as you stay below deck. If I catch either of you up here, I will have no qualms placing you in a much less comfortable prison than your last. Understood?"

"Of course," he grunted in reply, heading toward the stairway without even bothering to look back. "That is, if you pirates can keep this wreck afloat without me."

Zaraki laughed outright. "If _that's_ this Prince I keep hearing so much about, it's no wonder Hueco Mundo's so fierce!"

"He's _not _the Prince," Matsumoto sighed, and Zaraki looked down at her in mild surprise. "But somehow I doubt that changes anything."

"And you're just gonna let 'em walk around all they want?" Ikkaku challenged.

Captain Rangiku Matsumoto frowned, refusing to make eye contact. "Yes," she replied, her voice strained, "I am. The fact is we owe him. And if the Prince is helping Unohana somehow…" At this, she made eye contact once again, smiling such a disturbingly sweet smile that even Zaraki wasn't about to talk back. "Well, there's no way in hell _I'd_ be the one to tell her."

* * *

Hitsugaya trudged through the second level of the galleon, having absolutely no idea where he was going. He could only hope that following the large crowd that seemed to be running back and forth through the walkways would lead him to the elusive sick bay. He supposed he could have just asked one of them for directions, but he didn't want to deal with the strange looks that would inevitably follow. He'd seen enough of those stares in his lifetime, and he preferred to avoid them when he could. Finally, he came to a doorway that was at least three times the width of the others, opening into the bustling infirmary. It was easy enough to tell that it was the right place, what with it being full to the brim of injured men and women. The stench of blood was rampant, but the reek of various herbs and serums mixed with the sweat of the hardworking healers was equally repugnant. In all honesty, it was hard to tell which smell was worse.

Trying his best to ignore it, he searched the area for Yamada, occasionally having to step out of the way of bustling healers intent on running him over. One too many rushing attendees later, just as he was finally ready to give up, a loud crash reverberated through the wooden hull, and he knew his search was over.

"Be careful with those! You could have gouged your eyes out!"

"R-r-right. I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry; be careful! It would be awful if you were hurt because I asked you to carry those scalpels!"

"W-well, if I do get hurt, at least I'm in the right place! Eheh!"

Hanatarou Yamada smiled nervously up at an extremely tall, silver-haired woman. His face was flushed pink, but Hitsugaya refused to acknowledge that just yet. The woman was dressed in the same make-shift uniform as all of the other healers in the infirmary save one: Yamada himself. Hitsugaya snorted at the sight but still waited until the woman left before cutting the haphazard prince off.

"Ah! Hitsugaya!" he exulted, nearly tripping over himself again. He was positively beaming. "You're okay!"

"Of course, I am," he brushed Yamada's excitement to the side. "But that's more than I can say about you. What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping them," Yamada replied, hesitating a moment before adding, "like you were."

"I wasn't helping them. I was making sure we weren't killed for their mistakes. There's a difference. Now, come on. This place is making me nauseous." Hanatarou's expression grew pained, and for just a second, Hitsugaya debated whether he should have held his tongue. But no. He'd said nothing but the truth, and he wasn't going to take that back. Instead he glared all the more, only speaking up again when it was clear Yamada wasn't going to move. "These idiots aren't like us. They don't deserve your help, nor do they need it. Let's go."

"You're wrong."

It was so quiet Hitsugaya almost didn't hear it. But he did hear it, and it did not make him happy. "What?"

"You're wrong, Hitsugaya," Yamada repeated, meeting him face to face with a determined frown. "They're people too. I can't just ignore it when they're injured, enemy or not. I don't think they're really even our enemy at all. I think…" For a while, it seemed like he wasn't going to continue. He was obviously working hard just to keep from shriveling beneath his servant's murderous stare. But finally, after a large gulp, he was able to finish, almost as softly as he had begun.

"I think they want the same thing as us."

Hitsugaya's eyes flashed in anger, and before his mind was able to catch up with his body, he had already slapped the Prince upside the head. The scalpels crashed to the ground yet again, but this time no one picked them up. No sooner had the deed been done, than Hitsugaya felt someone squeeze his shoulder tightly. It felt like it would pop right out of its socket.

"I will not tolerate abuse toward anyone under my watch, no matter who they might be. I will have to ask you to leave immediately," commanded the owner of the hand that was squeezing his shoulder blade.

He yanked himself free of her grasp, turning back to Yamada with hatred in his eyes. "What they want is our skulls to decorate their figurehead. What do you think this damn war is about?"

"The war is over," Yamada countered, too afraid not to say anything. "We won; they lost. It ended fifty years ago!"

"Try telling them that," Hitsugaya snarled.

He turned around and stormed out, marching as far away from that wretched place as his feet could carry him. This wasn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. It was supposed to be simple. They were supposed to let these pirates take them right back home before turning them in to the authorities and getting right back to business as usual. There weren't supposed to be any pit stops; there weren't supposed to be problems. It was supposed to be simple.

He slammed his fist into the hull. "Damn it all!"

"H-Hitsugaya?"

Hitsugaya didn't look up. He didn't have to. "Does it hurt?"

There was a pause, as if Yamada didn't realize what he was talking about at first. "Not really. You've hit harder before," he hesitantly chuckled. When Hitsugaya didn't reply, however, he continued, all hesitancy gone from his voice. "You know that whatever it is you decide to do, I'll follow you without hesitation, right?"

Finally, Hitsugaya removed his hand from the wood, turning around to let his backside slide down the hull. "Moron," he huffed. "_You're_ the Prince, remember?"

Yamada sat down beside him, bunching up the colorful robes as he rested his chin on his knees. "Yeah, I know," he nodded. "I won't tell them the truth, but I won't pretend for them either."

Silence. Then, a voice so quiet Hanatarou almost didn't hear.

"Thank you."

He smiled. "Don't mention it."

* * *

Chapter Six End


	7. To Each His Own

I'm going to apologize right here and now. This whole chapter was only supposed to be a third of what I had in store. I still can't believe how long these conversations dragged on, and I'm the one who wrote them. So, I'm sorry.

The next chapter will be much more interesting. I promise.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

To Each His Own

* * *

"There aren't that many safe ports in Hueco Mundo. Surely you've found one by now."

"But of course, dear Miss Rangiku. Did you doubt me?"

"Spare me the theatrics, please. Where are we headed?"

Kisuke Urahara noted the young captain's weariness. The storm had left them all with little sleep and a long day ahead that was now only just reaching its half way point. Yelling at Zaraki had obviously drained her energy. He smirked. There were only two women in this world that dared stand up and compete against Kenpachi Zaraki. And she was one of them.

He had talked to the other not too long ago, and it seemed things were getting interesting. "I rather feel like seeing an old friend," he intoned, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he resituated the striped bucket hat atop his unkempt blond hair. "Good, old Isshin always has spare supplies."

Rangiku brightened almost immediately. "Isshin's place is perfect. The whole town is crawling with sympathizers and immigrants," she commended the blond. "Not only should he be able to get the ship back in order in no time, but he'll have plenty of information. I may even be able to buy a little rumor or two…."

Urahara's smirk could only grow. Buying a rumor from Isshin Kurosaki, eh? It was times like these that he remembered why he actually stuck around and listened to the fiery, little girl captain. Her schemes could be positively delightful. "We'll be there no later than sun down tomorrow, my dear," he made flourish of bowing, with a tip of his hat and all.

She smiled, a genuine smile. Those were rare these days. "Good," she nodded.

She was already halfway out the door when Urahara added, as an afterthought, "You know, I heard that our little whitey threw a fit and pounded the prince down in the sick bay."

When she did reply, her voice was strained. "So what?"

"Just thought you might like to stay informed is all," he waved it away with a grin.

Rangiku just huffed and left, leaving him alone once more. Or so he thought.

"You're looking smug," came a light chuckle from behind him. "That can mean only one thing. You just meddled in someone else's business." A pause as Kisuke Urahara's smirk widened. "I want to hear everything."

"Tsk, tsk, my dear Yoruichi," he scolded playfully, not bothering to turn around. "That would be rude."

"Yes, it would be. Now, out with it."

"I was merely speeding things along," he conceded as he felt her hands creep up to his shoulders. "Hitsugaya certainly isn't about to tell her anything, and so the arduous task falls to me." By the way he spoke, one would think he had taken up the cross.

"But Kisuke," Yoruichi frowned, pulling back from his shoulders to look him in the eye, "even he doesn't know. Otherwise, he never would have-"

"Of course, he doesn't know," Kisuke cut her off with a wink. "It's much more fun that way."

Yoruichi looked surprised at first but quickly broke out into a laughing fit. Urahara seemed quite satisfied with this reaction. "But if he doesn't know that, then what _does_ he know?"

"More than he's telling us, at any rate," he sighed, sobering slightly. "I know his origin and I know what he stands for, but I've wracked my brains and all my records, and there is hardly any information out there that will tell me anything about him or what he's doing here. He's quite famous, or perhaps infamous would be the better word, but there is just so little that anyone seems to want to say about him."

"There has to be something. What could he be so famous for?"

"My dear, misguided Yoruichi, why are you asking me as if I don't know the answer?"

"You just _said_ that you didn't know what Hitsuga-"

Urahara put a finger to the woman's lips, his mischievous grin so wide that it was a wonder his face could still contain it. "What I said was that no one seems to want to say anything on the matter."

Shihouin lifted his finger away with a knowing pout that wasn't quite as effective as it could have been seeing as a smirk threatened to upturn the edge of her lips at any moment. _So this was what he was going to play at, eh?_ "Then what _is_ the kid so famous for? Other than being the prince's own playmate?"

"Well, it says right here," the blonde wiggled an old newspaper clipping in her face. "So you see?"

Yoruichi did see, but she didn't dare answer for fear that what she saw really was what he intended her to see. Because if it was, things were going to get very complicated, very quickly.

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto was more than a little frustrated. She'd never admit it to Urahara, but what he had said bothered her. She didn't really know why. Perhaps it was just some old status system drilled into her head after so many stories about the last brave, honorable, and noble King of Seireitei. Royalty was supposed to be sacred, a place filled by only the best of people, and it only seemed to accentuate Hueco Mundo's twisted ways to have their prince be beaten around by someone as low as Hitsugaya.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was because she had so much trouble picturing him doing something like that. The thought made her pause. All the people of Hueco Mundo, not just the Loyals, were supposed to be nothing more than a pack of cruel bastards. Hitsugaya was definitely a cruel bastard. So why…? Why did she have this feeling? It was almost like…

"_I am not noble. And he won't die."_

It was almost like she didn't want him to be.

She quickly shrugged it off. She had more important things to think about; she couldn't afford to waste her time on trifles. Not anymore. Not like she had before.

After about fifteen minutes of searching, she finally found who she was looking for. Two young men were leaning back against the wall in front of the open doorway to one of the _Narcissus_' many storage rooms. One was huddled into himself, knees up and head stuffed between his legs and his stomach. The other was watching him, brows furrowed in what might have been anger. She was extremely surprised, however, when she discovered which one was which.

When Hanatarou Yamada saw her walking toward them, he put a finger to his lips before quietly standing up and coming to her instead. Hitsugaya remained where he was, huddled into himself. It wasn't right, she thought, ignoring the hesitant prince for the moment as she stared down at the huddled servant. He looked for all the world like he was a little kid on time out.

"Uh … er …" the prince rattled on, his voice barely above a whisper. "He's sleeping so … if you have anything you need to tell us … er … I can tell him later."

Finally, she tore her gaze away from Hitsugaya. "You can't just wake him up?"

"No."

Rangiku almost couldn't believe what she'd heard. He'd gone from timid and fretting to decisive and unmovable with just one question. These people just didn't make any sense to her. "Fine then," she acquiesced, lowering her own voice. They were far enough down the hallway that she doubted he could hear, but the sudden change in Yamada's demeanor seemed to suggest she shouldn't talk much louder than him anyway. "I just came to tell you that we'll be landing in Hueco Mundo tomorrow, under the cover of night. But we won't leave the ship until morning. I think … I'll be taking him," she gestured toward the sleeping servant, "with me. I have someone I want him to meet. I can't afford to take you; otherwise you two might try to escape."

The prince let out a nervous, weary chuckle. "Trust me. Keeping me here won't stop him from escaping."

She huffed, folding her hands beneath her over-grown breasts. Hanatarou involuntarily blushed. She remembered what had been bugging her earlier, and she turned back to Hitsugaya. "Prince Yamada..." she trailed off, the prince jerking back to look up at her as if afraid she might decide to become a giant, shark-toothed demon temptress at any moment. "Why do you let him treat you the way he does?" There. She'd asked it.

He only looked down at his feet. "What do you mean?"

He was obviously uncomfortable. Alright. She'd start small, but she wouldn't back down now that she had finally asked. "Well, for starters, why do you let him call you Yamada when he should be calling you 'Your Highness'? And while we're on that topic, why do you just call him Hitsugaya? Doesn't he have a rank or anything?"

The young prince bit at his lip. "Well, ah … because we made a promise."

It was too weak of an answer. Matsumoto wasn't going to accept it. "What kind of promise?"

"Well … um … When … When things happen … sometimes you think about them because of other things, and you know that no one's trying to hurt you or bother you, but it still hurts you anyway, especially when you can't tell them why it hurts, and so you try to endure it and you try to endure everything else, but that one thing keeps coming back and just won't go away, and you even try telling people, but they don't listen because you're not important enough, and everything just gets worse and worse until you can't stand it anymore, and you need to do something, but you still can't, and it just makes you want the whole world to end, it makes you want it so badly that you'd do _anything_, you'd even k-!"

He had worked himself into quite a frenzy as he went on. It had begun quiet enough, but the further he rambled, the more anxious and nervous and louder he became. And when he saw Hitsugaya twitch, he immediately silenced himself. The two waited a moment in silence, but he did not move again. She turned back to Yamada, who had gone back to looking at his boots. She had believed his earlier answer was too weak, and she rather thought this one was too strong. It was amazing, the almost bi-polar nature the prince seemed to have developed. A thought occurred to her at that. _He was only that way when Hitsugaya was involved._ She was surprised out of her epiphany when Yamada unexpectedly continued.

"A … A long time ago, we … we promised to call each other by our names and by our names only," he asserted to his feet. "That way … rank wouldn't have anything to do with anything." His eyes flung up to Rangiku's with an almost desperate expression in them. "Please don't think he's a bad person, Captain Matsumoto. He cares about things; he really does. He … He just doesn't know how to show it. I know he cares about you guys too. That's why he's so angry. He doesn't want-"

"Did he care about you when he hit you like that?"

"Yes." She stared down at him with incredulity. He smiled, a hesitant, almost non-existent smile but a smile none-the-less. "I … I'll tell him about landing when he wakes up."

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. This was way too much for one girl to handle. They were supposed to be her prisoners, for pity's sake. "You know what?" she grunted, hastily drawing herself back up as she turned away. "I'm not much for titles either, so how about we make a promise too. You call me Rangiku, and I'll call you Hanatarou. How about that?"

She could just make out his beaming smile in her peripheral vision. "Of course, Miss Rangiku!"

* * *

"'Please don't think he's a bad person, Captain Matsumoto'?"

Yamada whirled around at the unexpected, mocking voice. "H-Hitsugaya! I-I didn't know you were awake…."

The servant snorted haughtily. "It would be impossible to sleep through all that noise you were making. Honestly. You never cried to me so much about your stupid title. If I had known it upset you to that extent, I would have kept using it."

If he had had the courage to admit it, he would have told himself that his companion was only acting this way to try to prove him wrong, to try to prove to everyone that he really was a bad person. But despite what he thought, he didn't have the courage to say it out loud, and so the young prince went right back to staring at his feet. They seemed to be getting more and more fascinating with every passing minute. "I … I wasn't talking … about me."

Hitsugaya froze, eyes narrow as they glared at his knees. There was a moment of tense silence as Yamada very nearly wet himself, but finally his companion shrugged it off. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. I've slept long enough. It's your turn. You can tell me what she wanted in the morning."

"Ah," Hanatarou brightened slightly. "Does that mean you slept well?"

Hitsugaya turned away with a frown, but none-the-less, he still answered. "…Yeah," he grunted. "I suppose I did."

"Then, maybe, this could turn out to be a good thing," he looked to Hitsugaya, hesitant but pleading, "right?"

He sat back down beside the gruff servant, getting comfortable once more. Hitsugaya never did answer the question, but he didn't mind. He hadn't really expected him to. He had told him to wait until morning, but he felt he should say something now anyway. Perhaps more for himself than for Hitsugaya, if he was going to be honest. He sighed. "She said she was going to take you with her, when the ship docked."

Hitsugaya took the information in stride, his eyes fading out in contemplation. "Did she…?"

And Hanatarou fell fast asleep, confident that come morning Hitsugaya would know exactly what to do.

* * *

Chapter Seven End


	8. Once in a Blue Moon

Well, testing is done with, so I thought I'd celebrate with a new chapter. It's certainly been long enough, hasn't it?

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Once in a Blue Moon

* * *

"I'm only explaining this one more time, so I recommend you listen. Shuu, Soifon, and Izuru and handling the people in town for supplies, and Kenpachi and his men will be needed for the heavy lifting. The damage is going to call for a lot of lumber. Byakuya says you hate his guts. Unohana and her men are helping everyone injured in the storm. Kisuke and Yoruichi have their own plans. And there is no way I'm taking Hanatarou with us, so…"

"So we're stuck with the idiot."

"Hey. I'm the only one allowed to call my men idiots."

"Ran, that is _not_ helping."

Rangiku Matsumoto, Toushirou Hitsugaya, and a very frustrated Renji Abarai slowly trudged through the seaside wilderness. There was a port town only a kilometer or two to the west, but that was not where they were going. Isshin wasn't exactly in a position to be wandering around the town. They supported him, knew he was there, and would never report him, but if he was seen among them, it would cause obvious problems. No man Matsumoto could trust so completely would be on good terms with Hueco Mundo law enforcement.

"I'm the one who's been insulted," Hitsugaya huffed in return. "If this is all you think it will take to keep me in custody, then you are both clearly out of your minds. Not that that would be difficult to believe."

"What I think is that you won't even try to escape," the busty blonde retorted confidently.

Hitsugaya paused just long enough for Renji to catch it before he asked, "And what makes you think that?"

"Because we have Hanatarou, of course," she countered without missing a beat. It was clear across her slightly surprised expression that she had thought the answer was obvious.

"Hmph," Hitsugaya scowled. Renji snorted his own opinion as well. No one had missed the fact that she was suddenly referring to the Prince on a first name basis, just like he'd given up on calling Ran "captain." "I'm not staying for him, and he knows that better than anyone," was the young man's unexpected reply. Hadn't that white haired brat been the one telling Kuchiki that it was his duty to protect the Prince? "The only reason I haven't already escaped is that I'm interested in this Kurosaki man you want to introduce me to. That is all."

Renji still couldn't comprehend why Ran would want to take Hitsugaya to Isshin of all people, but if she was so set on it, the least he could do was be there in case something went wrong. He had never agreed with this plan of hers. They hadn't had prisoners on this ship for a very long time, and everyone they had captured in the past had joined the crew in the end. But these people were different. The Sixth Prince of Hueco Mundo and his arrogant, little tag-a-long? They couldn't treat these two like everyone else. And yet that was exactly what she was doing. Hopefully this trip would remind her that they had a goal, and Hitsugaya and Yamada were nothing more than the means to that end.

"Ah! I see him!" Matsumoto gleefully announced. In the distance, a decent shack was just visible within the maze of tree trunks. Out front was a middle aged man stooped over a small vegetable garden. Renji smirked. The guy never changed. "Oy! Isshin! Guess who!"

The man immediately looked up, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates at the incoming sight before him. A giant, goofy smile encompassed his entire face as he dropped everything and ran right up to … _Hitsugaya_.

"I can't believe my eyes! You finally did it, you stubborn, little ass!" he proclaimed loudly as he attempted to trap the young hostage in a headlock.

"Did _what_, you senile, old bastard!?" Hitsugaya hastily countered, doing everything in his power to keep the man from ruffling his hair.

"Senile _and_ old in the same insult? You're losing your touch, Hitsugaya!"

"You … know each other?" Renji whirled around to see that Rangiku was just as confused as he was.

Isshin laughed. "What? He didn't tell you? This kid here-"

"His son is my direct subordinate in the military, assigned to the protection of Prince Hanatarou Yamada."

Isshin quickly sobered, releasing Hitsugaya with an awkward expression before turning to Rangiku and Renji. "Well then, you must be here for a reason. C'mon in. Drinks all around. If you'd prefer, Hitsugaya can stay in the back room while we talk." Hitsugaya huffed but didn't protest so they entered the empty shack. As soon as the royal servant was out of earshot, he poured the drinks and got straight to the point. "What is _he_ doing with _your_ crew?"

"You must have heard about Gin by now. We're going to hold a trade. And that is where you come in."

"A trade, Prince Yamada for Gin?" he iterated as if he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

"Well, and Hitsugaya, I suppose. They do seem to be a package deal, don't they?"

Isshin offered her a morbid grin, and Renji couldn't figure out what it meant. "Ran, I live here. I'd like to think my network keeps me well informed on these matters, especially when it comes to the capital. As such, I have to tell right now. This isn't going to work. Leave Hitsugaya and Yamada with me, and leave Hueco Mundo before-"

A loud thud vibrated throughout the room as Rangiku slammed her hands down on the table. It seemed this was Isshin's day for being interrupted. However, she refused to look up at him, glaring at the small cup of tea that was now on its side. "I am here to fix the ship. The basic wood and tools can be bought in town, but anything expensive, I want directly from you. I can pay you with the money on board."

"Rangiku…"

She moved her hands from the table, leaving several gold and silver pieces in their stead. "I would also like to ask some favors."

It was clear Isshin didn't like how she was reacting to his advice. This was the most serious expression Renji had ever seen on the man. "I don't accept pay for favors."

"Then I'll ask for one favor, and one more business transaction. First, please relay this information to King Aizen's court: If he wishes to see his son again, he will be waiting with Gin Ichimaru at Port Resurrección in three days time."

"Rangiku," Isshin persisted sternly. "It won't work."

She continued to ignore him, raising her voice. "And second, I would like to buy a rumor."

Isshin slumped back with a sigh and turned toward Renji. Even Rangiku turned on him. The redhead snorted his contempt. He knew when he wasn't wanted, and now he'd have to go and wait in the other room with that little, white haired jerk. Slowly he opened the door to the back room, a bedroom by the looks of it. Hitsugaya was standing by an old dresser, his back to the door. He was looking at something that Renji couldn't quite make out, but as soon as the pirate closed the door behind him, the servant slammed it down on the dresser and whirled around.

"What was that?"

Hitsugaya, it seemed, was just as talented at ignoring people as Matsumoto was. "He's a good man, but he's too nice. He's going to give her everything she asks for even though he knows as well as I do that this trade is nothing but a little girl's fantasy."

"And what? _You're_ the noble one in this situation?" Renji barked sarcastically. "You wouldn't know morality if it bit you in the ass."

"At least I haven't resorted to kidnapping to make up for stupid people's stupid mistakes."

Before Renji could strangle him, however, a second loud, obnoxious slam could be heard from the other side of the door, and Renji abandoned his homicidal impulses in order to run after a raging Rangiku who had just stormed out the front door.

* * *

"I take it you tried to dissuade her."

With a small chuckle, Isshin stepped into the back room. "I knew it would do no good. She has the same brand of stubbornness as you." Hitsugaya scowled. "So … She doesn't know about any of it then. None of the crew does."

"She would have never bothered with us if she had. She has no idea what she's dragging all of these idiots down into."

"And neither do you," Isshin sighed wearily. "While you were off gallivanting on the high seas, _he_ found something big. I can't tell you what, but it was enough to make him impatient. I can't predict how he'll react to this. I'm sorry I couldn't prevent it."

Hitsugaya had gone cold. This was why he'd come; this was why he hadn't run away. He had been suspecting this for months. And yet… When he heard it coming right out of Isshin Kurosaki's mouth, it just sounded that much more foreboding. "Thank you for warning me," he replied, his voice a frigid monotone.

Isshin grinned encouragingly, patting him on the shoulder. "You can tell Rangiku that her supplies will be on the coast soon enough, and both of her messages will be taken care of by my top minion," he winked. "The rest is up to you. That girl has landed herself in some rough waters, but she won't stop just because of that."

"Why should I care about what happens to a couple of pirates?! Kurosaki, you…!" He seemed about ready to explode, grinding his teeth together and balling his hands into fists. Without another word, he turned around and began to march toward the door, yet unexpectedly, he let himself relax once more, stopping in the doorway but not turning back to look at the man he was speaking to. "How are … Karin and Yuzu?"

The middle-aged father smiled sadly though he knew Hitsugaya couldn't see. "You read Ichigo's letter then?" When he didn't get a reply, he took it as a yes. "They're both doing amazing well considering the situation. Yuzu began a shelter for refugees and injured soldiers, and even though Karin wanted to join Ichigo, she decided to help her sister protect it instead. They'll have to go into hiding themselves when they come of age, but when that happens, I'll go with them."

"Good. The refugees … could use a doctor like you."

"Hitsugaya, I gave up that title when I first saw my son carry you through that door. Before I can cure people, I'll have to help cure the country. And to do that, I'll have to support brats like you and Ichigo."

"If what you're saying is true, I may not be around to be supported much longer."

"And it's because you say things like that that you're still a brat," Isshin finally succeeded in ruffling his hair as he pushed him out. "Now, go on before Rangiku forgets that she took you along."

Hitsugaya didn't know why, but at those words, all thoughts of escape left his mind.

* * *

Thus it was a less-than-pleased Toushirou Hitsugaya who encroached upon Matsumoto and Abarai, both already trumping through the foliage. "And where are we going now?" he huffed.

"A decent tavern. Where else?" Matusmoto countered, equally haughty.

"You're going to take this kid _drinking_ with us?"

"If you don't like it, you don't have to drink, but I'll be drinking whether you're sober or not."

"If you think I'm going to stay sober long enough to see you drunk, you're sorely mistaken," the frustrated hostage replied. But before anyone could say anything more, Matsumoto suddenly halted, her hand traveling cautiously toward the scimitar at her waste. Hitsugaya and Abarai stopped on either side of her.

Before them were five Loyals, none older than eighteen, with their swords drawn and pointing toward Matsumoto. "Pirate and current captain of the Narcissus, Rangiku Matsumoto. King Aizen has ordered your arrest along with the entirety of your crew," one of them smirked broadly. "He'd like you to be present for your former captain's execution."

Hitsugaya could have cursed. Matsumoto had obviously chosen to dock here because of Isshin and the town's general lack of patriotism, but Aizen must have been thinking along the same lines. This should have been a good thing, allowing him to not only remove himself from the pirates' custody but take them into his. But…

"Execution? I'm glad we met then. You're very uninformed," Matsumoto replied with obvious contempt. "There will be no execution. Isshin's message will make that clear."

"Isshin … _Kurosaki_, did you say?"

No. That couldn't be allowed.

A white blur immediately reentered their field of vision directly in front of the man who had spoken. Two arms crossed in front of the Loyal's sword; the right hand chopped the his palm, while the left grabbed the top of the hilt and twisted it down. The two actions combined forced the sword out of his hands, and not a second later, the blade had plunged through his heart.

Hitsugaya now had a weapon, but he'd lost the element of surprise. The remaining four Loyals reacted as they had been trained. Without questioning, they ran at him, all aiming to kill. He yanked the blade from the first man's chest just in time to block two strikes and jump back from a third. Whirling around, he caught the only one who hadn't attacked, slamming the hilt up into his neck.

Before the second body could even fall, he was already swinging for the closest Loyal's shoulders when he suddenly froze. The Loyal was shivering, wide-eyed as he stared at his opponent in disbelief. "Wh-Wha…?" Hitsugaya couldn't move. "Wh-Why? P-Pr…"

Two resounding shots pierced through the silence, and Hitsugaya instinctively finished his swing, the shaking Loyal locked forever in his expression of fear as his neck was severed from his shoulders.

"What the hell was that? You can't rush in to a swarm of Loyals and then freeze up!" Abarai cried in frustration, about ready to point his pistol at Hitsugaya as well. Those soldiers had nearly killed one of their own men. Their hostage had been one step away from a sword in his back.

Hitsugaya dropped the stolen blade into the dirt beside the bleeding bodies. "I knew him," he replied dully before turning around and continuing down the path. "Now we're even."

Matsumoto couldn't believe her eyes. Hitsugaya had just attacked a group of Loyals who were after her. It didn't make sense. Even if he had done it for another reason entirely, the facts didn't change. _They were even_. The smallest of smiles crept along her lips. "Maybe he's not such a bastard after all."

Renji wasn't quite so sure. He looked down at the mound of corpses, grinding his teeth together painfully. This brat had called _Kuchiki_ a hypocrite? "Or maybe he's a bigger bastard then we thought."

"Come on, Renji," she replied wearily, not willing to lose sight of their hostage again. "Let's get drunk."

* * *

Chapter Eight End


	9. Stray with Me

I originally had something completely different planned for this chapter. The events were actually going to happen over the span of two chapters, and both conversations were held in very different places. But one of my reviews mentioned wanting to see them drunk, and this scene began to enfold itself in my mind. Besides, I think it's about time they get moving again.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Stray With Me

* * *

Captain Rangiku Matsumoto was bordering on elated.

She had not been this self-satisfied for a very, very long time. In fact, she'd been having quite a large slump recently. There was no need to explain the reason why. So was it for anyone to question that, when finally she found something to keep her spirits up, she decided to cling to it like mad? Could anyone honestly tell her to stop when she had only just found something to distract her from all of the insanity she'd thrown herself into since her beloved Gin's capture?

Well, there was that, and the fact that she was dead drunk helped too.

The words were still running themselves through her mind. _They were even._ She knew what that really meant well enough. She'd been around men like him long enough to understand what was going through his head. How would she ever be able to command a pirate ship otherwise?

Those words meant, plainly and simply, that they were now equal. They were even in authority, even in strength and will, even in debt. He accepted her position of power, and he accepted his position as prisoner, which effectively promoted him right out of his hostage situation. With equality, her threats meant nothing, and their primary leverage, the Prince, meant as little as her threats. Before he had stated that the only thing keeping him from escaping was curiosity toward Isshin, but he didn't even have that as an excuse any more. They were even, and he now had nothing to keep him from trying to run.

But, oh no. She wasn't satisfied with leaving it at that. When Renji saw what the kid had done to his own men, he'd convinced himself Hitsugaya was even worse than the average cold blooded murderer, but Rangiku was convinced otherwise. And she knew that she was going to prove _both_ those idiots wrong. Thus it was with great personal pleasure that she accepted her fourth glass of alcohol and downed half of it without stopping for air.

When Rangiku Matsumoto set her mind on something, nothing could change it.

"Ran," the aforementioned redhead seethed, not for the first time. "I can see how it would make sense to get him drunk, but it kind of ruins the whole point when you get _yourself_ even more wasted."

"I'm not ruinin' my point, Renji. I'm makin' it," she replied with a small laugh.

This laugh seemed to be all it took to turn the man's world upside down. Renji stared at her, struck deaf and dumb at the sight of her drunken smile, until he heard another voice scoff.

He focused his gaze downward to face their hostage, who was sitting in between the two pirates and had therefore been able to hear every word Renji Abarai had said. Rangiku was fairly sure Renji had done that on purpose. "And what point would that be?" he grunted, glaring at his first and only drink, still sitting unfinished but not untouched on the bar before him. "That you're both irredeemable idiots?"

"Nope," Rangiku countered without missing a beat. "I'm gonna beat both'a you at yer own game. 'Cos I'm cap'n, and I'm smarter'n you."

"You're drunker than us too," Renji muttered. As surprising as it was, he was the only one of the three without any alcohol in his system. The first thing Rangiku had done when they had arrived in the tavern was order a drink for Hitsugaya, and when he refused to have any, she then ordered one for herself and proved that even arrogant snobs like that white-haired snot had a limit to how much they could stand before they needed something to wipe their memories clean.

"I don't play games," Hitsugaya asserted, sounding rather frustrated. His cheeks were only just taking on a flushed pink hue, and though he wasn't nearly as far gone as Rangiku, he was looking more relaxed than usual. His normally stiff, alert guard was fading, and he was starting to sound almost human, his voice heavy and his emotions sparked clearly across his features. "And the very fact we're here proves that you don't have room for a single sentient thought left in your brain."

Rangiku let out a stifled chuckle. "Yer not gonna get me to tell no matter what you say," she chimed. "I'm not gonna tell you 'til I beat you."

"C'mon, Ran. I know you're enjoying yourself and all, but I'm sure Isshin's gotten his supplies to the ship by now," he grunted irritably. It was never fun to be the responsible one, and Renji was already tired of it. "We need to get over there and help him get ready to move out before anyone realizes what happened to those Loyals."

The woman captain released a hiccup from behind her ever-present hood as she finally consented to Renji's insistence. "'Kay, 'kay…" she trailed of lightly, paying for the drinks before waving to their hostage. "I get it, I get it. Gotta go 'cos we've gotta warn Isshin 'bout the Loyals." She heard Hitsugaya snort and couldn't help but let out a childish giggle, the sort of playful, knowing laugh that a little kid wouldn't be able to hold back when someone passed over her hiding place. Renji gave her another look, but she expertly ignored it. "Le's go then."

As the three of them walked through the open marketplace, Rangiku was undoubtedly the most talkative, but she was surprised at how much the little liquor Hitsugaya had consumed had relaxed him as well. Thus, while Renji was still being annoyingly irate, her inebriated mind told her that Hitsugaya would make the best conversation buddy. Besides, a bit more teasing before she won the game could never be considered a bad thing … right?

"Oy, Hitsugaya," she whined, playfully pushing him away from Renji. The redhead's brows were furrowed in visible aggravation, but he didn't say anything, so she didn't stop. "You never tell us anythin' 'bout yerself, huh? I bet you have tons of funny stories, an' I wanna hear 'em. Like, like, have you always been with the Prince, huh? You two are really close, right?"

For once, it seemed her inebriated mind had chosen correctly. Yet another giggle escaped her lips when Hitsugaya did the unthinkable and actually responded, no insult included. Pulling away from her vice-like grip, the teenage hostage huffed a definite, "Of course. I've known him as long as I can remember. What's it to you?"

"Yer just so mismatched, ya know?" she pressed on, darting a glance toward Renji and playing at being secretive. "He's so cute an' cuddly an' klutzy, and yer just short an' angry an' mean."

"I am not," he grunted less-than-gracefully. "You people are just annoying."

So much for his "no insults" streak. "But ya didn't answer my question," she pressed on valiantly, a drunken knight sharing a joke with an angry dragon. "Did'ja meet when you were assigned to 'im? Were you playmates? Ah! Yeah, that must'a been it, right? All the little palace darlings playin' with each other! So cute!"

It was obvious that Hitsugaya found it anything but. The moment the words were out of her mouth, he froze, emerald eyes wide in shock … or perhaps even fear. Matsumoto blinked stupidly, her liquor-soaked mind taking more time than usual to process that something was wrong. "What did you just call me…?" he asked, a tone of menace revealing what his hidden eyes could not.

"What? Ya mean 'palace darling'? But it fits you two perfectly! Jus' like li'l, ole Byakuya."

Renji had stopped by now as well, much more aware than his drunken captain. Something dawned on him then, and having experienced the difference between the two cultures already, he quickly interrupted. "It's slang used around Seireitei. Kids who grew up in the royal court, all prissy and pampered and the like," he explained gruffly.

"Oh, I see," the younger finally managed, and the three plowed forward once more.

Rangiku hadn't realized just how tense his shoulders had become until he relaxed them. What was his problem? "Whaaat?" the woman drawled teasingly. "It means somethin' else in Hueco Mundo?"

"Yes, actually. It does." The reply was halting, almost choked, enough so that it even caught Rangiku's attention. "It refers to … royal harems … of children. _Gifts_ to the _king_."

It took a while for Matsumoto to comprehend this, and when she did, she suddenly didn't feel so drunk anymore. "Oh. _Oh._ You're not…?"

"No," he replied firmly. "My parents had no _need_ to sell me off to the palace."

"R-Right. O'course," the captain chuckled nervously, bonking herself on the side of her head. "Silly me."

"Hmph. And you scold _us_ for chatting? I don't know how you got the kid rolling, but you two can sure go on forever," interrupted an unexpected, sarcastic voice. Renji snorted as Rangiku and Hitsugaya realized for the first time that they had already made it to the harbor. And who else would be there to greet them besides Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihouin? Renji wasn't about to stick around with them there, and Matsumoto was quick to note that he had abandoned them to deal with the _Narcissus_' infamous duo alone.

"I thought you two said you were busy," the busty woman pouted, just barely able to fold her arms across her ample chest.

"We were, and now we're not," Urahara returned easily, waving an Oriental-styled fan conspicuously in front of his chin.

"What he means is we went out to look for something, but we found it much quicker than we had expected," Yoruichi clarified. "Isshin showed up a short while ago. He coerced some of the townsmen to bring in the supplies. Kisuke and I had already seen the mess you made by then, so the message has been passed on. He'll be moving on as soon as night falls."

Rangiku let loose a sigh of relief. "I should'a known you guys'd be a step ahead of me," she laughed. "Gin always teased you two about that."

A single, blonde eyebrow rose at this statement before the eye below it slowly turned on the young man who Rangiku had been speaking to. "Well, I'm sure you have plenty of work ahead of you. Shuu needs some help with directing everyone. We can take care of Hitsugaya, right, Yoruichi-love? We've got something to ask him anyway."

"Go on, Captain. It's best to gain an early start so we'll be ready when the time comes," the dark skinned woman confirmed.

"Yeah, yeah. Work, work, work. Tha's all being a cap'n is good for. It's boooring," she whined pathetically as she struggled up the make-shift ramp. But just when they thought she was gone, she popped up at the railing, leaning over to get a good view of them down below. "Oy, Hitsugaya, I almost forgot. I win," she smirked.

It took Hitsugaya a moment to realize what she was talking about. That stupid game she mentioned when they were still in the tavern… "How do you figure?" he decided to humor her.

Her grin only widened. "You said yer only reason for not runnin' away was 'cos you wanted to see Isshin, right? But after that, I took ya to the center of town and even got myself drunk, but you didn' run away 'cos you couldn' go without Hanatarou," she pointed out triumphantly. "So I win. Yer not a cruel bastard."

And it was with that all-encompassing smirk that she walked away, leaving Hitsugaya utterly and completely dumbstruck.

* * *

"Aww, now that was charming, wasn't it, Kisuke?"

"Truly a performance to behold, my dear Yoruichi," returned the man in question, "but I can't be sure that it beats his performance up until now. I suppose he's just a better actor when he's actually acting, hm?"

Toushirou Hitsugaya slowly turned his head back to the man and woman before him. It looked as if today was just going to be one shock after another. "What are you talking about?" he asked coldly. "You said you had something to say to me? Get on with it."

"You know very well what we're talking about, Toushirou."

The royal servent's eyes widened in disbelief, staring into those omniscient golden orbs for any sign of weakness, of a bluff, of anything. "How did you kn-"

"How did we know your first name when you only gave us your surname? But that wasn't even the difficult part," Urahara whined into his fan. "Would you not rather ask something along the lines of, say, 'How did you figure out I was lying?' Is that one better?"

He had told Yamada that it was inevitable someone would figure it out. It wasn't as if they were in any position to prove themselves or hide the facts once they were learned. But even so… This was much earlier than Hitsugaya had anticipated. He didn't like this one bit. "It doesn't matter now, does it? Our situations haven't changed," he growled under his breath, his voice becoming more frigid with every word.

"If it doesn't matter, why are you still trying so hard to protect the lie?" Shihouin interrupted lightly, leaning up against a pile of crates as if to emphasize her victory.

"Personal reasons," he replied vaguely.

Yoruichi and Kisuke turned knowing glances toward each other before turning back on their target, and Hitsugaya bit his lip. Just how much did they know? How much could he reveal without giving himself away? Why wouldn't these idiots just stop beating around the bush and get to the point?

"Personal reasons like, hypothetically, an issue with the current ruler of Hueco Mundo?" Urahara asked quietly, even though all three present knew it wasn't really a question.

"How _did_ you find out, then?"

Hitsugaya could see it clearly in their subtle movements and sparse eye contact. They knew he was avoiding the topic, and that fact was only confirming their doubts. But which doubts those were, he still couldn't comprehend, and if he didn't know at least that much, he couldn't proceed without potentially letting something loose.

"Well, I am an expert in my field," the blonde confirmed. "And so is Yoruichi. Some research and some snooping did nicely. I do believe that I can say I know everything there is to know about this troublesome situation."

"You don't know anything," returned the deadly response, all of the carefully practiced icy aloofness cracking in an instant.

"I know more than you think, that's for sure," he smirked. "Honestly. The more I learn, the more I have to wonder…. Are you the worst possible hostage we could have secured … or are you the best?"

"I'm not the real hostage here. Yamada is the Sixth Prince. He's the only one of us who's worth anything to the king."

Shihouin sighed. "You're lying again, Toushirou," she asserted in frustration. The pale-haired hostage held back a retort. "You know better than anyone that he's not the only one of you who's worth more than your weight in gold. For more reasons than one."

"Does he know about all of this?"

Hitsugaya glared down the blonde navigator with such hatred that he was sure the fan was about to spontaneously combust. "No matter what I tell you, you won't believe me," he seethed.

"That's true, that's true," Kisuke Urahara nodded in mock surrender. "So, how many times have you tried to do it?"

Well, crap. Now there was no question as to what they were talking about. So they really did know their stuff. This was looking to be very bad indeed, but at this point, he had little left to lose where this topic was concerned. "Six times in the last three years, but I only posed a real threat during two of those attempts."

"Oh, is that true? You really are a pest, aren't you?"

"If we don't board soon, the Captain might get suspicious," Yoruichi scolded both of them lightly, nodding her head toward the busy deck.

Two softly tanned hands balled themselves into fists, and Hitsugaya raised his head until he was looking Kisuke Urahara directly in the eye. Nothing was going to escape him. "What is it that you really want to ask? Spit it out already."

"Fair enough," the be-hatted man acquiesced. "All I want to know is why an all-powerful king like Sousuke Aizen would continue to let you into his domain again and again … when you've already tried to assassinate him six times in the past three years?"

And, without warning, Toushirou Hitsugaya collapsed.

* * *

Chapter Nine End


	10. Dream Catcher

Well, here we go again. Here's to hoping this lives up to the excrutiating amount of time I always make you guys wait. This one doesn't outright give anything away, but it definitely solidifies most of the smaller clues I've been dishing out. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Dream Catcher

* * *

When Retsu Unohana stepped out of the infirmary, she was met with six sets of prying, expectant eyes, and she couldn't hold back the smallest of smirks at the irony of it all. "I never would have expected our young guest to gain such popularity so quickly," she commented knowingly, gaining even more pleasure from watching the various degrees of denial and frustration upon the onlookers' faces.

Renji Abarai was leaning against the wall next to the door, doing his absolute best to look annoyed at having been dragged below deck, while Captain Matsumoto was glaring pointedly at Kisuke and Yoruichi, neither of whom seemed perturbed in the least. Shuuhei Hisagi and Izuru Kira were huddled awkwardly to the side, and Retsu had the distinct feeling that they hadn't a clue as to why they were here. More than likely, they had been with the woman captain when she spotted Kisuke carrying their hostage to the sick bay and had followed her in hopes of finding out what had made her so sober so quickly.

"How is he?" Captain Matsumoto asked, instantly deserting her prey in favor of the concern that leaked through her half-concealed, gray eyes.

Her smirk dissolving into a thin frown, Retsu turned her attention on Yoruichi and then to Kisuke. When neither one of them so much as batted an eye lid, she sighed. "He is sleeping soundly. The young prince is watching over him."

"That much is obvious," Renji couldn't help but grumble. "How'd he _get_ asleep? That's what I want to know."

"Perhaps the ones you should be asking that particular question of are Shihouin and Urahara," Unohana less-than-subtly chided.

Kisuke offered up a sheepish grin, while Yoruichi seemed strangely lost in thought. Retsu had to admit, when those two had hauled the boy through these doors, she had forced herself to refrain from pointing fingers until after she had isolated the problem, but now that she had done just that, she wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. "Don't look at me like that, Retsu," Kisuke whined playfully. "We didn't touch the kid, honest. He passed out in the middle of a conversation. Surely you've dug up the problem by now."

A single, ebony brow rose accusingly for a moment before the seasoned woman let her suspicions ebb away to be replaced by professionalism. "There is no problem to be 'dug up,' Urahara," she replied, her tone frank. "He is in perfect physical health."

Silence came over the group for a second or two as those gathered mulled over the careful way Unohana had phrased her reply. Unexpectedly, the silence was broken by a pensive Izuru. "Just physical…?"

That captured Rangiku's full attention, enough so that Retsu was sure she didn't notice the bleak expressions that passed over Kisuke's and Yoruichi's faces as they chanced a knowing glance at each other. Convinced that, at the very least, this incident hadn't been intended, she decided there was really no point in withholding any further information, even if the _Narcissus_' two intelligence gatherers clearly knew more than they were letting on.

"If our hostage is suffering from anything, it's nightmares," the healer clarified. "I spoke with the young prince, and it seems that he is well aware his companion has a habit of avoiding sleep for that very reason. Usually he has more control, but I can only assume the alcohol he consumed robbed him of some of that self-discipline. Did anything startling happen, perhaps, pushing his body beyond what his inebriated mind could keep under control?" Although no one responded to the indirect barb, the lot of them had the decency to appear chastened, and Retsu softened her tone slightly. "When he wakes, he will be fine excepting for the likelihood of a small hangover, but I'd prefer if he remained in the infirmary for a few hours afterward. If you have anything to say to him, it can be said in front of myself or the young prince."

Having said what she came out to say, she was just about to step back into the sick bay, when Captain Matsumoto suddenly grabbed her arm. The shamelessly energetic woman hadn't been quite herself since Gin Ichimaru's capture; Retsu knew how much of an understatement that was, and she knew that better than most. So it was that much more surprising to the healer when she looked down past the protection of the young captain's concealing hood, into Rangiku Matsumoto's eyes, and saw the sheer unbridled and unrepentant amount of emotion that melted into the pale irises, a display the likes of which Retsu had only seen directed at one person before.

"Unohana… Did Hanatarou say … what kind of nightmares…?"

"He did not," Retsu replied wearily, having been caught off guard for a moment. "That is Hitsugaya's to share, and his only. Now, if you're all finished here, I believe you have a ship to fix. The health of a hostage means little if he can't be transported to the drop point."

No one argued as Unohana went back to her work, but Renji risked a suspicious glance through the closing door. "We're all talking about the same person, right? The crazy bastard who dropped the mizzen topgallant in the middle of a storm, the insane Loyal that killed three of his own…?"

"No, we're talking about the _other_ hostage that we took out for a drink," came Rangiku's scathing retort. "Why the hell would you ask something like that?"

"Defensive, much?" the redhead growled back. He hadn't exactly had the best of days, and now he was supposed to play nice with their hostage just because he was some sort of insomniac? "I just wanna know what kind of crazy ass bastard can do all of that, acting arrogant as hell, and then get all weak-kneed over a couple of stupid bad dreams."

"Maybe the real question," Shuuhei Hisagi hedged softly, "is how bad a bad dream has to be to make a person like him weak-kneed."

* * *

"You're trying to get me out of the way." The accusation left no room for argument. "Why?"

"And what could have given you that idea?" returned another figure, his back turned on the intruding visitor as if not giving him the satisfaction of even seeing his expression.

"You're sending me on a pointless mission with a pointless goal that could easily be handled by any number of lesser attendants. But you chose me anyway," the first countered, eyes narrowing. "And I'm supposed to believe that you'd send me away just a few days after the wedding with pure motives? Not to mention the most recent addition to the prisons…"

"Are you implying something?" the second figure chuckled. "I merely thought you'd be tired after so many days of constant festivities. You've always been partial to the sea; I thought you'd enjoy a well-deserved rest."

"I can rest here, at the palace," the other insisted, though his voice cracked ever so slightly. "You want me out of the way, and I want you to tell me why."

The second man paused for a moment before letting loose an exaggerated sigh, as if he were amused with the defiant acts of a young child rather than the accusations of an unexpected guest. "I don't need you out of the way for anything. Even if you were to watch my every move, you would still be powerless to change anything I might have planned. I'm sending you away to prove a point that I believe you've forgotten over the years."

The intruder stiffened though he refused to back down. "And what point is that?"

"You seem to be enjoying yourself recently, expanding and manipulating your miniscule sphere of influence. I can only let you continue for so long before intervening," came the smooth and shameless taunt as the second man slowly turned to face the first, a dangerous smile glinting in the poor lighting. "Consider this to be a journey of enlightenment. I will teach you the most important lesson of your life." He stepped closer and closer as he continued, until the two were only inches apart, eyes locked.

"Everything you will ever own, everything you will ever see, smell, hear, or touch, everything you will ever think, everything you will ever love, and everything you will ever hate… They are all mine." His hand shot out, firmly taking hold of his visitor's jaw as he leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"_You_ are mine … Toushirou."

* * *

Toushirou Hitsugaya knew he was in a bed in the sick bay, and he knew that Hanatarou Yamada was sitting beside him. His companion's soft breathing and the return of that putrid smell of mixed blood and sweat he'd tried so hard to avoid told him that much. What he didn't know was how he'd gotten there. And that was a rather disturbing thought.

Slowly, cautiously, he opened his eyes, and when nothing immediately came out of the shadows to kill him, he tried to sit up. He didn't get very far before he was pushed unceremoniously back down, Yamada's face directly above his, looking down at him with a worried frown. The push hadn't been that forceful, and truth be told, even half asleep as he was, Hitsugaya could have easily pushed back, but he didn't. Something in those plain, dark eyes told him he shouldn't even try.

"You're awake," Yamada stated the obvious, his voice shaky.

Hitsugaya just huffed. "When did I fall asleep?"

"You didn't. That's the problem," his companion replied without missing a beat. But quickly, his worried expression grew pained, and he added, "You… You lied to me. You said you were sleeping better."

"I lie to everyone," the white-crowned servant evaded, not quite meeting Yamada's eyes.

"Not to me."

This time he stared down the prince with unbridled determination. "I lie to everyone."

Yamada didn't try to argue again, and for that, at least, Hitsugaya was grateful. Instead, the hesitant prince sat back down with a self-depreciating pout. "I thought you'd be feeling better because we're on a ship and everything. S-Sorry…"

"Idiot."

"I know," Yamada sighed. "Unohana gave me some herbs that are supposed to help you sleep. Do you think they'll work?"

"No."

Hitsugaya's curt, less-than-friendly answers and uncharacteristically obedient demeanor seemed to finally catch his companion's attention as he let out a strangled snort of mixed exasperation and pity. "Was it bad?"

It was obvious to the grouchy patient that Yamada was asking about whatever nightmare had had the privilege of waking him up this time. He just snorted. "It was relatively tame." He was silent for a moment, mulling that thought over. Maybe tame wasn't the right word. It had just been … less physical. And he really didn't want to think about it either way. "What happened?"

The sixth prince was quick to jump at the chance to change the subject. "One of the pirates carried you in on his back and said you'd just collapsed on the dock. Unohana was pretty mad. She kept complaining about treating human beings like animals," he smiled warmly as he went on, and Hitsugaya couldn't hold back a perturbed grimace. "She asked me to help because we know each other, so when I heard what happened, I knew right away what was wrong. She told me I could watch over you and make sure nothing happened while you were asleep. She went outside to tell the others about it a while ago, but she's been helping with repairs ever since. I think the ship will be ready to sail within the hour."

The grudging patient looked over his partner one last time before he accused him. "You trust her," he grunted. "You trust that Unohana woman, and she actually trusts you back enough to leave you unwatched."

Yamada affirmed the statement with a hesitant nod. "Isn't that why you … hit me?"

"I knew you trusted her. I didn't know she returned the gesture. I didn't know anyone on this ship returned the gesture. I thought you were the only idiot."

The prince's frown deepened in concern and a little confusion. Hitsugaya knew he must have been wearing his own frustration all over his face, and it was not at all comforting to know that Yamada was reading him so easily. "Well, we can't escape, right? Not from a whole pirate crew. Maybe they just don't think we need a constant watch."

"Never trust a hostage, Yamada. It's not something you do."

"She's a nice person. Maybe she just doesn't belong on a pirate ship?"

Hitsugaya's breath hitched involuntarily. "Neither does their captain."

Yamada's jaw just about unhinged. "You think she trusts you?"

"She shouldn't."

"But she does."

"Idiot."

The Prince curled up in his chair, pouting into his knees. "Me … or Miss Rangiku?"

"Both."

Another sigh. "I know."

"That's why you're an idiot."

"Back to name calling so soon, Hitsugaya?" smirked a familiar hooded figure as she approached the isolated bed in the corner of the sick bay. "I take it that means you had a nice nap."

Hitsugaya snorted, pulling himself up into a sitting position and just daring Yamada to try and stop him a second time. He didn't, and thus the royal servant turned his accusing gaze on none other than Rangiku Matsumoto. Speak of the devil…

"You don't have to be so rude, you know," she huffed. "I didn't have to come, but I did anyway. You're not going to pass out like that again, are you?"

"Only if I'm assured it will cause you grief," the servant replied, blatantly insulting as ever.

"Not a morning person, I take it?" The woman's smirk only grew at his aggravated scowl. Seeming to decide that she'd baited him enough, she turned to Yamada and handed him a small package. "I thought you might be hungry after sitting around down here for so long, so I brought out some snacks from the stores. It should tide you over until our friendly neighborhood ass is ready to get out of bed. We're setting sail at first light, and it will take us about three days to reach Port Resurrección. There's no point in hiding our route from you this time, so as soon as we leave port, you'll be free to come up on deck. After that, the trade will be held, and as soon as we have Gin, you'll both be free to go."

Was Hitsugaya imagining things, or did she almost sound disappointed?

"Though, don't be surprised if by that time, you don't even want to leave. Us pirate folk can be very … persuasive, hm?" she fluttered mock-seductively, running a hand along the curves of her shapely hips.

Oh yeah. Hitsugaya was definitely imagining things. Especially the warmth that traveled up between his thighs as he forced his gaze back to her face. "Is that how you convinced Kuchiki to stay?" he returned coldly, not in any mood to play around.

Captain Matsumoto's eyes instantly turned cold, flashing with a frigid intensity that Hitsugaya himself would have been hard pressed to imitate. She leaned forward, gripping the edge of the mattress with a dangerously tight hold. "You think I seduce my hostages into joining my crew? You can only dream of being so lucky," she seethed through clenched teeth. "If you're so curious about him, I'll tell you why he's here. Byakuya joined this crew because your bloody country screwed him over and killed his wife and sister! He doesn't _have_ anywhere else to go! None of us do! And if you damn well can't see that, then maybe I was wrong about you!"

With that, she let go of the bed and stomped out of the infirmary, refusing to look back.

And it was too bad that she didn't. Otherwise, she wouldn't have missed the pale, disbelieving look her two victims had shared as her words slowly registered and began to tear at the very walls of their reality.

"He didn't know," Hitsugaya uttered, his tone flat. "The bastard didn't know."

"…Miss Rangiku looked really angry."

"Damn it! Let her be angry!" the royal servant snapped at his companion. "Damn that bastard! Why the hell would he-!? None of them know. _She_ doesn't know. She thinks the bastard…" He flopped back down in the bed, covering his face in his hands. "Damn them all! Why the hell do they keep talking?! Why do they keep making everything more difficult?! This was supposed to be simple!"

"But it's not."

"...Idiot."

Yamada sighed, a soft, weary, defeated sigh that seemed to deflate him as his shoulders sunk. "Do you want to try some of Unohana's herbs?"

Hitsugaya didn't move right away, but after a moment, he nodded once through his fingers, and Prince Hanatarou Yamada set about mixing the provided ingredients into a relaxing tea.

* * *

Chapter Ten End


	11. Down the Hatch

Alright, kiddies. This chapter comes with a special warning. We are slowly approaching that point in time which makes this fic so much different than all my other ones prior, so if at any point in the future you feel the rating should be upped, please tell me in your review.

Also, please note that some happenings in this chapter might seem out of character but are actually deeply ingrained, in-character quirks that could only be brought into light with the help of good, ol' alcohol abuse and will eventually make perfect sense. Please and thank you.

**Chapter Specific Warnings:** Includes a drinking game that I doubt existed in the 1700s and drunken pirates using the word sex. A lot.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Down the Hatch

* * *

It couldn't have been longer than twelve hours since he'd last seen the man. Toushirou Hitsugaya had been fast asleep for the first half of that, relaxing for the second. It had been a blissful break from their current situation, but it had also been a short one. And, of course, who else would be sent down to check on them as soon as he was awake again besides Kisuke Urahara?

"A change of clothes and a warm bath, courtesy of my dear Yoruichi! Try them out, and be amazed! You'd never believe what a bit of good hygiene can do for you!"

Damn. His brain hadn't been exaggerating. Urahara really was as antagonistically cheerful and blatantly condescending as he had remembered.

All modesty aside, the water wouldn't stay warm for long, and so the man stood just outside the open door frame as Hitsugaya and Yamada both stepped into the tub that had been prepared for them. More than anything else, it resembled a large barrel of ale, and Hitsugaya snorted derisively as he realized that was probably what it was. He regretted the noise when it was followed by Urahara's voice again, this time much less cheerful and much more condescending.

"I wouldn't complain if I were you, Toushirou. I'm holding your clothes," Urahara smirked, peeking in and waving the bundle in the air. Hitsugaya refrained from comment, preferring to seethe silently as the navigator went on. "I still intend to get my answers, whether you're willing to give them or not."

The bastard had him cornered. One offer of cleanliness, and Hitsugaya was wrapped around his finger. With a few words Urahara could gauge Yamada's reaction, proving whether or not he knew about Hitsugaya's assassination attempts, as well as blackmail him into an answer by withholding the offered garments. In all honesty, he didn't remember the entire conversation, but he remembered enough to recognize what Urahara was fishing for. A sweep of the floor told him their other clothes were too far to grab from the tub, and there was no way in hell he was going to give the smug man a show.

By this time Yamada was looking from Urahara to Hitsugaya in confusion, trying to figure out what he'd missed. One glimpse of that concerned face was all it took for Hitsugaya to make his decision. Damn it all, but if Yamada thought Hitsugaya was hiding something from him, he'd never hear the end of it.

"Why would _you_ want to kill Aizen?" the white-haired teenager countered in frustration.

When Yamada wasn't shocked by Hitsugaya's question, instead turning an almost accusing look on the navigator, Urahara was assured that he was well aware of Hitsugaya's attempts on King Aizen's life. In fact, Hitsugaya could tell by the glint in his eye that Yamada's reaction proved plenty of other theories he had as well, and he didn't like that at all. Intrigued by the question and the subsequent conclusions he drew from it, Urahara easily played along. "King Aizen enjoys the power he has far too much for anyone else's welfare, and he doesn't like to share. He's entirely too much like me for me to ever get along with him."

For just a moment, Hitsugaya was quiet. Then: "Well, I_ live_ with him."

And Urahara promptly burst out laughing. "Good answer, but it's not the one I was looking for. I know why you'd want to kill him, but I don't know why he keeps you around afterward."

Yamada bit his lip and looked away, but Hitsugaya didn't blink, mouth coiling into a disgusted grimace he didn't even try to hide. "The same reason he does everything else. To stroke his ego."

Kisuke Urahara chuckled knowingly, tossing the bundled clothing into the room. "Thank you for your cooperation," he concluded, back to being nauseatingly happy. "You're an interesting brat, you know. If you'd just stop acting like an ass all the time, everybody else would realize it too."

"You're one to talk."

"Ah, yes. But the difference is that while I really am an ass, you're only acting. It makes me wonder whether you put up that front with everyone, or just us worthless, scum-sucking pirates, hm?"

A wave of his hand and he was gone, leaving Hitsugaya to stew while Yamada remained thankfully silent.

If only for the sake of what little hygiene a person could maintain while on a crowded ship out to sea, they finally got out of the tub and pulled on the clothes Urahara had given them. Yamada couldn't express just how glad he was to be rid of the signature robes, donning a simple, light blue shirt and tan pants with boots to match. Hitsugaya decided upon the darker set which came with a black sash, likely meant as a belt, that he tied around his forehead.

"Yamada," he spoke up for the first time since Urahara left, "Kuchiki seems like the type to watch the ocean, does he not?"

Hanatarou Yamada cocked his head quizzically before mumbling, "I … I don't know. Why?"

"Perhaps … just once … I can stop acting like an ass."

Yamada followed him up to the deck, smiling all the way.

* * *

Renji Abarai could think of several things he'd rather be doing, but regardless of their defection and subsequent joining of the _Narcissus_' crew, he still considered Kuchiki to be his commanding officer. And so when the stoic man had stepped out on deck to get a bit of fresh air (and, more likely, to escape the rowdy arm wrestling tournament taking place down below), Renji had followed him. He probably didn't appreciate the company, but it was the sentiment that mattered.

Urahara had said loyalty was important in Hueco Mundo. Well, it was important here too.

But when Kuchiki turned around and Renji's eyes locked themselves on the two hostages as they walked slowly over, he decided this may have been the best place to be after all. "I was under the impression you wished to avoid my presence," came Kuchiki's cold, monotonous voice, his grey eyes narrow as he looked down on the approaching young men.

Renji was surprised when Hitsugaya didn't retort. Everything in him had expected the insolent brat to mouth off again, but he didn't. Instead, he stopped about a meter away and _looked up_ into those narrowed eyes with a blunt frankness Renji would have expected more from Rangiku herself than from their hostage.

"I was misinformed by the Palace," returned Hitsugaya with as little emotion as Kuchiki. It wasn't an apology, nothing of the sort, but it wasn't an excuse either. A pause followed, as if he were debating whether or not he should say something more. But with a small nudge from that prince, he added a quick, "So were you," before turning around for the fastest walk Renji had ever seen until they were both back below deck.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, not at all fond of how often he seemed to be caught off guard recently. "We don't talk to the bloody Palace; how would they lie to us? The last time they told us anything was when Rukia-"

"Excuse me, Abarai," Kuchiki interrupted when Renji had frozen up mid-sentence. The former soldier stepped around the thoroughly shocked redhead and made his way below deck as well.

Unfortunately, it looked like Renji wasn't going to get a moment to let the shock leave his system. Just as Kuchiki left, Rangiku popped up from the other side to pout at the retreating man's back. "What crawled up his ass today? He looks even stiffer than usual."

Renji opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "I think … he's happy."

"Eh?"

"Your hostage … just said Rukia's … not dead."

Rangiku looked to be in almost as much shock as Renji. "Let me get this straight…" she trailed off in awe. "Hitsugaya had a civil conversation with someone besides Hanatarou?"

Renji sent her his most scathing "are you sane?" stare, but as always she remained unaffected. "What? I heard what you said. But we can't go gallivanting off to look for her with Hueco Mundo's king waiting for us in Resurrección, and we don't know where to look for her in the first place if she is, in fact, alive. We can't drop everything for one girl who was never even part of this crew to begin with. If we don't want to get ourselves killed, we're going to have to focus on the here and now."

"…So then what are we going to do now?"

"What else?" she countered as if it were obvious. "We're gonna drink until we pass out!"

"And how is _that_ considered focusing?!"

* * *

"Gather 'round, gather 'round!"

The room was suddenly filled with upturned heads, pirates caught up in all different levels of inebriation still managing to come to semi-attention when their captain called out to them. Rangiku Matsumoto was standing atop a long table in the center, holding a glass of liquor up to the ceiling like some sort of beacon. Renji, Shuuhei, Izuru, Hitsugaya, and Yamada all stood awkwardly on the ground behind her, the two hostages clearly having no idea why they were there.

"Alrighty! We've got ourselves two prissy Loyals on this ship who have been proven to have zero alcohol tolerance! What do you say we show these guys how you're supposed to do it?" she roared to those who hadn't already returned to their drinks. Hitsugaya attempted to protest, but the resounding cheers drowned him out. "Get on over here, and let's have a party!"

"So we're just gonna chug 'til only one of us is left?" Kenpachi Zaraki asked, looking a little too pleased at the thought even as Yachiru scrambled up his shoulder blade.

"Naw! I don't wanna kill them, just show them the true spirit of spirits!" A giggle. It was fairly obvious that she'd had a few already, not that it would make much difference. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'Never Have I Ever.'"

"Sounds good to me," grinned an irrepressible Yoruichi as she took a seat as well.

Kisuke Urahara took the seat next to her, and Retsu Unohana surprised all by accepting a seat next to Kenpachi. She was quickly followed by Ikkaku and Yumichika as Renji sat at Kisuke's other side, and Shuuhei took a spot next to Rangiku, who by then had hopped off the table and forced Hitsugaya and Yamada into seats on her opposite side. Izuru, having been in Hitsugaya's and Yamada's position several times before, opted out and instead manned the barrels of ale that would likely need to be refilled at their next stop.

"Hitsugaya goes first! Come on! Say something you've never done before!"

"Why do I have to…?" he grunted under his breath, but Rangiku would have nothing of it.

"Because I'm the captain, and what I say, goes!"

One glare later, he icily replied, "Never have I ever taken prisoners."

As all of the pirates paid their dues, Matsumoto laughed. "Cheap shot, Hitsugaya. Let's keep 'em coming. Never have I ever helped anyone who took me prisoner." She grinned wider. "And no lying. We have Hanatarou to tell us when you're lying."

Hitsugaya knew without doubt that if he did lie, Yamada would do no such thing, but none-the-less the two hostages dutifully drank from their glasses.

And the game was on. Shuuhei Hisagi was next, ganging up on Rangiku with something that must have happened when they were children, and Yumichika and Ikkaku succeeded him with less than decent accusations that left virtually everyone guiltily chugging away. Yoruichi was happy to follow their example with a playful assertion that she'd never had sex in the captain's captain, which left everyone to pause and reassess their opinions of their fellow shipmates when not only Rangiku but Unohana and Zaraki drank their fill.

After Yoruichi, however, it was Kisuke's turn, and the lightening mood was derailed when he embraced the moment to do what he did best. "Never have I ever believed Yamada was a prince."

Confused, awkward silence prevailed as Kisuke cocked his head to the two men across the table. Rangiku gave the be-hatted man a look that clearly said this was not the right way to get everyone drunk and happy, but then she whirled around when Hitsugaya met the challenge with a steady smirk. "Ah, so I'm not the only one who's noticed then? _I'd_ probably make a better prince than Yamada."

Matsumoto smiled, splashing her glass into the air above the prince. "Aww, I support ya, Hanatarou!" she cheered, taking a large gulp while several others followed suit. The tension eased alongside the confusion, and Urahara grinned back to convey his satisfaction. Damn, but Hitsugaya hated that man!

Luckily for him, Renji, while still as suspicious as ever, was more intent on the game and the drinks and forgetting about the insanity he was encouraging in his captain. He brought the subject right back to the indecency where it belonged. Zaraki and Unohana went along with the flow, and the circle wound around to a very relaxed, very uninhibited Hanatarou.

He smiled his disarming smile, hugged his draining glass with both hands, and said with a mischievous glint in his eye, "Never have I ever pushed a visiting princess into the lake."

Hitsugaya, who by the time his turn rolled around a second time had already consumed a surprisingly large amount, drank grudgingly but refused defeat, forgetting about the surrounding pirates just long enough to exact due vengeance with interest. Looking innocently at anyone but his fellow hostage, he replied, "And never have I ever had sex in the throne room."

The entire table erupted when Hanatarou Yamada gave Hitsugaya a comically scandalized glare and obediently took a drink.

But it wasn't Yamada's promiscuous behavior that finally got the game going strong. It was one, simple observation made on the part of Retsu Unohana after the game had gone another round.

"My," she smiled softly, "you're so flushed already, Hitsugaya? Just how many of these silly sex questions have you been drinking to?"

With all eyes suddenly on him and Unohana looking even smugger than Urahara, Hitsugaya was not in any mind to give any sort of answer at all. This, however, only encouraged them. People began calling out random designations out of turn, and intrigued pirates who hadn't been part of the game began to crowd around doing the same.

"On the beach!"

"In a broom closet!"

"In a fountain!"

"In a threesome!"

"A foursome!"

"On the roof!"

"In a stable!"

"With voyeurs!"

Soon enough, Hitsugaya just didn't even bother removing the glass from his lips between shout outs. Refills were shoved in his face as more people, places, and objects rolled endlessly from overhyped mouths. He tried to lean back to get away from them all, but his balance wasn't exactly at its best, and he tilted the back of his chair one centimeter too far. But just as he was sure he was going to hit the ground, the chair stopped, two arms wrapping tightly around his neck as two giant breasts engulfed the sides of his face.

"Aw, Hitsugaya! Yer like a little sex bunny!"

Toushirou Hitsugaya's entire face turned scarlet.

"AM NOT!"

And all hell broke loose.

* * *

Captain Rangiku Matsumoto observed the scene before her.

Empty glasses littered the room; tables were upturned; men and women were lying passed out on the floor; and the smell of alcohol and sweat drowned out all else. Unohana had told her it would probably be best to leave them there for the night, so that when they woke up and looked around they'd remember why they had such monumental hangovers.

She didn't remember what exactly had happened to the game, but by the time everyone still awake (i.e. Unohana, Kisuke, Yoruichi, and herself) had decided to call it quits, it had evolved into something more reminiscent of a riot. That was perfectly fine by her. In fact, it had been the most fun she'd had in a long, long time.

Thus was the reason she was searching through the deeply sleeping bodies littering the floor until she found the one she was looking for. Next to a sprawled out Hanatarou lay Hitsugaya, curled up into himself, pale brows furrowed tight. His face was still flushed from the liquor, and the sash he'd tied around his forehead had loosened, falling into his eyes.

Geez. He was just as tense asleep as he was when he was awake.

She pouted, full lips upturned as she scanned the room to make sure they really were all out for the count. Once she was certain, she plopped down onto the floor next to the royal servant/bodyguard/soldier/whatever he was and cuddled gently into his back. A hesitant hand pushed the sash out of his eyes and lightly caressed the limp strands of hair that had lost much of their lift from his quick bath earlier that day. The pout slowly, cautiously, made way for a smile.

"No li'l sex bunny o' mine's allowed t'have bad dreams," she asserted to the sleeping boy as she nuzzled her face into that hair and fell asleep to the feel of a warm body beside hers.

She'd forgotten just how good a feeling it was.

* * *

Chapter Eleven End


	12. Pretending

Another all talking chapter, but it was necessary. These two need to get along, darn it. So here you go. Introspection and stubborn bonding galore.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Pretending

* * *

It was warm. Warm and comfortable.

His head was pounding, but the lights were dim and the warmth wrapped around him helped to ease the headache. He wondered how he'd gotten on the floor, but in the end, it didn't really matter. He was used to waking up in unexpected places. What he wasn't used to was waking up in unexpected places _with someone else_.

"Hina…?"

But just as he opened his mouth, strong arms pulled him closer, and his face was enveloped on all sides by two very familiar lumps of flesh. "Five more minutes…"

Just hold your breath, he hissed to himself. Hold your breath, and count to ten.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Screw it.

* * *

For a second after he awoke, Hanatarou thought he might be back at the palace. Hitsugaya's voice was as loud as it had always been, like he was shouting at one of the other servants or guards for messing up and making him fix their mistakes. Or like he used to always shout at him. Oh. Was Hitsugaya shouting at him again? If he was, than he really needed to start paying attention.

Still half asleep and helplessly rubbing his eyes, he strained to listen, and it became very obvious that Hitsugaya was _not_ yelling at him.

"Are you _mad_?!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as Rangiku Matsumoto shamelessly picked at her ear.

"Of course not. I slept really well, so I'm in a great mood."

"Gah! You're impossible!"

"I am not! I was just tired, was all!" The lady captain was whining, of all things. There wasn't a single hint of the angry, grudging woman that had first greeted them and taken them prisoner.

"So tired you had to collapse _right there_?"

"No! I was tired, so I wanted to sleep somewhere comfortable!"

The twitch in Hitsugaya's brow was almost painful to watch. "…I'm your damn pillow?"

"How can you think so little of me?!" the woman shot back, looking appalled. "I told you: you're no pillow, you're a bunny!"

"Damn it!"

"Oh, loosen up those tense shoulders, Hitsugaya! I wasn't comfy, and _you_ weren't very comfy either, all scrunched up into yourself like that. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone."

"What makes me comfortable is not for you to decide!" Wait. Hanatarou squinted. Was Hitsugaya … blushing?

"Maybe it's not for me to decide, but it's pretty easy for me to figure out, when you're waking up this energized. You must have slept well, hm?"

And suddenly Hitsugaya was frozen, green eyes wide in shock. This time Yamada knew he wasn't imagining it. His companion's whole face was beet red.

Without another word, Hitsugaya whirled around and stomped out of the room. Hanatarou hastily scrambled to his feet and followed after him. The last thing he heard from within was Miss Rangiku's loud laughter.

* * *

"Pfffft!" Rangiku cracked up. Having to hold it in for so long was harder than she thought it would be, and seeing the poor guy marching out of the room finally broke her resolve. "Trying so hard to hide that adorable blush! It's so typical! Just like-"

And then it was her turn to freeze in her tracks.

Slowly, mechanically, she looked over the passed out crew members, some just now waking up with bad hangovers, until she found who she was looking for. Not wasting any time, she strode over to the three young men and kicked each one right in the shins. "Renji, Shuu, Izuru! The crow's nest! Now!"

They didn't look any happier as they settled into the crow's nest fifteen minutes later, glaring up in obvious discontent as their captain paced before them. They definitely didn't look any happier after she revealed her reason for calling them there.

"I have a question, and I want to hear the absolute truth," she warned them, stopping her pacing to stare down at all three of them, her expression the epitome of seriousness. "Why do you think I love Gin?"

Renji was rendered incapable of sentient speech, and Izuru was still trying to digest the question, so Shuuhei was stuck with the sorry task of asking, "_This_ is what you wanted to talk about?"

"I have a point! Just answer the question!"

"Well…" Izuru hesitated slightly before taking a deep breath and plunging onward. "He took care of us ever since we were little, even though he wasn't that much older. He taught us everything he knew, how to survive in an atmosphere like this. Without him, we'd probably be dead."

Shuuhei was still reluctant and not at all thrilled, but he figured it was best to just play along for now. "It was as if you were always sharing a private joke that no one else could understand. Everything was funny to you two."

Finally, Matsumoto turned her sights on Renji, the one who had been with them the least amount of time. "You just did. I don't know. You guys were just happy."

"Wrong!" she shouted, plopping down to the floor like the rest of them for emphasis. "You're all wrong! He didn't take care of me; he tried to figure me out. We weren't sharing a joke, we were writing it. And we definitely weren't happy. For Gin and I, it was always, always the puzzle, the enigma!"

"What do you mean you weren't happy?" Izuru interrupted. "Then why would you-"

"_Because_ we weren't happy! Don't you get it? We wanted to find out why. Gin is my big puzzle, and I was finally beginning to figure him out. You see, he wanted to convince himself that he was happy, that he was having fun. So he smiled, even when he wasn't. Soon enough, he really was having fun. He enjoys raiding towns and burning down ships, he loves it when the Loyals get what's coming to them. But the smile is still fake. So I swore I'd either figure out why, or make him smile for real."

"Right," grunted the tattooed redhead. "And next you're going to tell us Hitsugaya runs around punching and insulting people because he's trying to convince himself he's an ass."

"Exactly!"

The crow's nest was deathly silent for all of two seconds. Then came the storm.

"What the hell?! I was joking!"

"Argh! Don't you get it? The whole reason I brought up Gin is to prove that I'd be able to spot something like this better than anyone else, don't you think?" their temporary captain fumed. "Renji, you were there! When we called on Isshin, you saw how the two of them were."

"Sorry for being too busy making sure he didn't bolt to notice him getting friendly with a – oh. Oh, hell."

Izuru and Shuuhei were instantly alert. They weren't about to miss something that even Renji understood. "What? What are you talking about?" Izuru pushed.

"Hitsugaya knew Isshin. He knew we were going to meet Isshin even before we got there; that was the whole reason he went along with it," Rangiku explained. "He said it was because Isshin's son serves under him in the Loyals, but I've met Isshin's kin before. He hates the damn navy just as much Isshin does, if not more!"

"So either Hitsugaya was lying, or there were at least _two_ Loyals in the palace who knew exactly where a wanted man was staying…" Shuuhei began.

"…And neither of them turned him in!" the busty woman interrupted with a flourish.

"No shit," Renji swore. "The brat's a traitor. That must be what Kuchiki meant. I don't know what the hell they were talking about, but Kuchiki was sure that Hitsugaya wasn't who he said he was."

"Now that I think about it, Urahara was saying something a little like that. He was talking to Shihouin, and he said something about the prince being in on something. Do you think the prince knew about Isshin too?" the blond frowned. The very implications of that question were too monumental to ignore.

"Really? I knew Hanatarou wasn't half bad! Then that means I'm not the only one catching on. That settles it then." Rangiku Matsumoto folded her arms across her chest and spouted what was arguably the most ridiculous assertion she'd made yet. "I want him on our crew."

"The hell are you-?!"

"Rangiku," Shuuhei interrupted the shouting redhead, his voice cold and deadly as his dark eyes glared holes into the woman. "Hitsugaya is _not_ Captain Ichimaru."

"How dare you!"

Izuru hastily intervened before Rangiku could hit anyone. "Calm down! He just meant… Well, we're trading him for Captain Ichimaru. And he wouldn't agree to being separated from the prince; you were the one who said that. Captain Ichimaru should be the top priority, right? We can deal with everything else afterward."

Grudgingly the woman backed off, making sure to show just how discontent she was with the situation. "Allies then. Having allies inside the palace might even be able to bring back our old success and inspire people to start fighting back against Hueco Mundo again."

"Well, why not ask them?" Renji grunted, pointing down. From their spot in the high crow's nest, it was easy to spot Hitsugaya and Yamada above board.

"Maybe I will."

* * *

"H-Hitsugaya…" Hanatarou trailed off as he finally caught up to his companion at the bow of the vessel. It wasn't too often he'd seen Hitsugaya storm out like that, dodging the issue and just running away. It wasn't the way Hitsugaya faced things. Running away was what Hanatarou did. But Hitsugaya certainly had been doing it more often recently. Could it be, he… "You're not really mad."

"Of course, I am," the white haired Loyal huffed. "She doesn't think about anything. She just dives in and expects everything to go the way she wants. It's beyond aggravating."

"But it's not _her_ you're mad at."

"Tch!" Hitsugaya denied the statement with a turn of his head, glaring out into the water below.

Silence followed for some time. Hanatarou never knew what to do in these situations, and he silently berated himself for being so stupid as to bring it up at all. Hitsugaya didn't like talking about this sort of thing. He always bundled it up and refused to let anyone else help. But there was a reason for it, and Hanatarou knew that reason better than anybody. So all he could ever do was follow the other young man through hell and high water and hope it was enough.

Apparently it was. "Yamada… I owe you an apology."

Those words completely startled him from his musings. "F-For what?"

"A lot," Hitsugaya replied vaguely. He was obviously uncomfortable. "And last night. I mentioned the throne room."

"Eheh," Hanatarou half smiled. He'd almost forgotten all about it, and now Hitsugaya was actually apologizing. "I… It didn't really bother me, as much as I thought it would," he finally managed to reply. "It was actually a little nice, when everybody laughed like that. In that setting, it felt like maybe for the first time it was okay. Something good came out of it because we made somebody happy. Um…"

"She looked so stupidly excited and impressed," Hitsugaya unexpectedly cut in, catching Yamada off guard again. "It… Somehow it made me feel … vindicated. As if it were possible…" He released a low, mirthless snort. "I said I wouldn't pretend, but with her… I almost wish I could."

He hadn't dared to say anything more up until now, not since the way Hitsugaya had reacted in the sick bay. But with the way his companion was now, Hanatarou thought maybe this time he'd get away without a bruise. "Maybe … we already are pretending…."

When no yelling or hitting was forthcoming, he swallowed and trudged onward. "We were wrong about Kuchiki, and … and I think they really are good people. They don't know about … everything, but they know a lot, and they're trying to make things better in their own way. If we keep pretending that we're enemies, I don't know…"

"We _are_ enemies." The reply was stiff but only half-hearted.

"But they're enemies that could be allies…" Hanatarou amended tentatively.

"Because they want the same thing as we do?" the white haired servant bit out mockingly, recalling Yamada's earlier words.

This time, however, the prince just shook his head. "Because _they're_ the same as _us_."

And as Yamada smiled his naïve, clueless, happy little smile, Hitsugaya could only stare blankly on. Why? It was really beginning to bother him. Why was he finding it harder and harder to disagree?

"Ah. What's wrong?"

And why was Yamada reading him with more and more ease every damn time?

"Oh, oh! I know what it is. I understand," the dark haired prince suddenly answered his own question. "That's so like you."

"What is?" he grounded out, turning away once more.

"You're not angry with the pirates or Miss Rangiku or any of these things that are going wrong. You're mad that, despite all of that, you're still enjoying yourself."

Even though Yamada couldn't see it, or perhaps because he couldn't, Hitsugaya's eyes widened in surprise, and he very nearly toppled over onto the deck. Enjoying himself? That was the most preposterous-

Was it really? Was it really that preposterous? Hitsugaya knew the answer. He just didn't like it. He'd been doing everything to avoid it 'til now. But after that morning… After that morning, he didn't think he could any longer.

"She was right," he finally sighed, his voice so quiet it was almost nonexistent. Yamada frowned, waiting for the rest of the explanation, and against all odds, his companion delivered. "I slept … very well."

"No lie?" Hitsugaya didn't answer, but Hanatarou could tell in his posture. It wasn't a lie. If it was, he'd be much more comfortable with it. "Hitsugaya, it's-"

But before he could say anything more, Rangiku Matsumoto herself marched in between them. As soon as she stopped, she turned a steady glare toward Hitsugaya, and Hitsugaya in turn moved to match it. It wasn't surprising to Hanatarou, how quickly his friend had regained control of himself, but he didn't like the look on either of their faces at all. Hesitantly he stepped away, only to bump into Abarai and two others.

"You bastards took Gin away from me."

"You pirates murdered an entire ship of Loyals on a drunken whim."

Yamada found his eyes rolling frantically back and forth between Miss Rangiku and Hitsugaya until an unexpected hand landed on his shoulder and steadied him. He looked up to see a dark haired man with a tattoo and three scars, but just as soon as their eyes met, the other man was looking at Hitsugaya and Rangiku again. Hanatarou gulped; he could practically taste the tension in the air.

And then, suddenly, the tension just evaporated.

"I let them."

"I ran away."

A long, drawn out silence followed, but it wasn't nearly as oppressive as it had been up 'til then.

Finally, Rangiku held out her hand. "I have to save Gin. I can't do that without you and Hanatarou, both of you. I shall return both of you safely, and I won't go back on my word. I _never_ go back on my word. But I can't do that on my own; I can only do it if I have your cooperation. Do I?"

Slowly but surely Hitsugaya raised his hand until their palms met in a firm grasp. "I'd rather not send your crew to the gallows just yet."

Just like that, the two shook hands, and Miss Rangiku left along with the men who had followed her. Hanatarou, for one, was thoroughly baffled.

"Why would she…?" he trailed off before casting a hopelessly confused frown at his companion. "Why would you…?"

"Because," Toushirou Hitsugaya replied for the second time, "she was right. And so were you."

The white haired Loyal moved to look out upon the open waters once more, a rekindled fire lighting his eyes in a way that Hanatarou hadn't seen for days.

"She can't do it on her own."

Hanatarou's eyes widened. And he knew.

Hitsugaya wasn't talking about Matsumoto.

* * *

Chapter Twelve End


	13. In Too Deep

Long story short, I lost the laptop and quite a bit of fanfic with it. But I've got a new one now. So have this chapter courtesy of Google Docs. I hope it's alright. I had a lot of trouble with it.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

In Too Deep

* * *

Hanatarou Yamada stood quietly on deck, watching the waves made by the ship's progress as they rammed into each other in fits of white foam. Hitsugaya had been talking to Miss Rangiku for a long time now. He was a little worried and a little apprehensive, unsure of what to do with himself without Hitsugaya pointing him in the right direction.

The sick bay wasn't in need of any more aid, and he really wasn't very good with anything else. He was barely passable as a medic.

"Don't you ever move?"

The jumpy prince was surprised by the voice, and Renji had to grab hold of him just to keep him from falling off the ship.

"E-Eh? Oh. I-I was waiting for Hitsugaya...." he trailed off once he'd managed to get himself balanced again.

Renji just snorted, shaking his head. "That woman can go on for hours. I wouldn't wait up."

"B-But I thought they were discussing plans?"

The wild redhead looked at him oddly. Hanatarou didn't know whether it was because he was stuttering or because he'd asked a dumb question. As he contemplated that, he couldn't help but notice that Renji had a different set of guns with him this time. Bigger ones.

"They probably were, the first two hours or so. Now c'mon. They'll probably be in there for another two hours before they're done. Unohana wanted to talk to ya for something."

Well, Renji wasn't the most comforting person Yamada had met on this ship, but they were supposed to be allies now, right? Or something like that. Maybe?

It was with a hesitant shuffle that he followed the other man to the lower levels.

* * *

"And that bald head of his barrelled right through the main sail and out into the water. Yachiru said his head tasted like sushi for days afterward. Not even Kenpachi's been willing to get on Unohana's bad side since!"

Captain Matsumoto giggled at the memory, and Hitsugaya even allowed himself a small snort to show his amusement. The thought of Madarame sailing through one of the sails was a satisfying one.

"But enough about us! Now it's your turn. I've gotten to know you and Hanatarou, but then there's Ichigo too. How did that one happen? And how many others can we expect aid from?"

"The first time I saw Kurosaki, he was committing high treason."

Matsumoto promptly erupted into a laughing fit, supporting herself with the railing of the ship as her back arched in glee. "Okay, now I know you're telling the truth! That sounds just like him!"

"If it had been anyone else, he would have been carted away and executed," came the haughty, disapproving reply.

But the woman captain only chuckled. "Well, it wasn't anyone else. It was you and Hanatarou."

Hitsugaya sighed, joining her in leaning against the railing, but he made a point of facing the water instead of the other pirates still running about on deck. Rangiku Matsumoto had been spilling her guts to him for several hours now; if this was going to go as planned, he would have to give her something in return.

"Each heir to Hueco Mundo's throne is allowed a personal guard, usually of four to six people. Most often they choose generals, captains, Loyals of high rank and experience. Two years ago, Yamada and I instead screened younger soldiers, just out of training and with little field experience."

"Oh, because they'd be more rebellious!"

"Because they would be a little less brain washed," Hitsugaya snorted in reply. "We're required by law to begin any similar interview with…"

* * *

"Are you loyal to King Aizen?"

"Hell no."

Toushirou Hitsugaya couldn't believe his ears. Teal eyes glanced at the person next to him, and Hanatarou's own dull brown orbs met the gaze in startled confusion.

The room was small and dim - empty of everything but a table, chairs, and three boys. Before them, on the other side of the table, sat an ornery teenager with messy orange hair, a scowl a mile long, and an apathetic slouch like no other. An ornery teenager who had just said something neither of the Loyals had ever heard uttered before in public.

"Come again?" Hitsugaya voiced as he turned back to the interviewee.

Ichigo Kurosaki leaned forward in his chair, scowl only widening. "Under Aizen's new conscription law, in a couple of years my little sisters are going to be forced from our home, trained in espionage, and sent on suicide missions! _My little sisters!_ As far as I'm concerned Aizen and everything he's done to this country can rot in hell! You people are sick, getting off by forcing strangers to fight your battles for you. There's no way I'd be loyal to an ass like that!"

When neither Hitsugaya nor Yamada could muster up a reply, Hitsugaya actually having dropped his quill somewhere along the line, he continued.

"What, you're speechless? Like father, like son, huh? What a pathetic prince, looking for people who haven't even finished basic training to protect your sorry asshole? How do you justify something like that? Think you'd get a kick out of watching a bunch of amateurs die trying to save your worthless lives?"

Yamada couldn't bring himself to do much more than gape, but Hitsugaya saw fit to do otherwise, leaning over the table to meet Kurosaki eye to eye. "What you just said is worth at least four counts of treason and is punishable by death," he intoned, his voice steady and monotonous.

"Then kill me, why don't you? I'd rather die than enable you bastards."

The two Loyals exchanged one last glance before straightening themselves out.

"Congratulations. The position is yours."

* * *

Yet again, the pirate ship's designated captain couldn't hold back a side-splitting fit of laughter. "I wish I could have seen his face!"

That earned her a self-satisfied smirk from the young man at her side. "It was very gratifying."

"Who else? Who else?" she pressed, excited by the story. If even Isshin's boy was in on all of this, she wanted to know everyone who was, she wanted to know everyone in Hueco Mundo who opposed their king. It was something she'd never considered before, the idea that there could actually be people in Hueco Mundo who weren't ruthless, narcissistic bastards. She knew Kenpachi Zaraki and his fighting force had all been raised there, but they, like Byakuya and Renji, had denounced it as their home. Somehow Hanatarou and Hitsugaya were different. How many others were like them, just waiting for their chances? "Spit it out."

"Kurosaki didn't believe us at first," Hitsugaya sighed, letting his chin rest on his arms above the railing, "but when he realized what we were doing, he recommended Orihime Inoue and Sado Yasutora. They were close friends, their families tied to the Kurosakis as well as their illegal activities. I found Uryuu Ishida during another interview. His grandfather had founded an archery troupe, but they were used as scapegoats for a crime they didn't commit. His grandfather along with the rest of the troupe was falsely accused and executed.

"Other than that, there's only..."

"Who's Hina?"

Hitsugaya whirled around, teal eyes wide in unabated surprise. "Wh-What?"

"That's what you called me when you were waking up this morning." Rangiku smiled mischievously, leaning one arm against the rail suggestively in sharp contrast to her companion's sudden stiffness.

"You were awake?" he asked, his voice almost inaudible.

"You thought you were laying with her, didn't you? Is she your lover? Your mistress?"

"She's not-!"

Rangiku moved in close, meeting him eye to eye, their faces only inches away from each other. She could see the growing blush setting fire to his face, and it sent a rush of adrenaline through her system. "Is she Mrs. Sex Bunny?"

He was silent for several seconds before managing a vague, "And what if she is?"

The ship's new captain grinned as she pulled away, only to reach around his back and drag him right up against her side. "We'll have to break the news to her, of course! There's a new bunny lady in her old hare's heart."

Hitsugaya hastily pushed her away, straightening himself out but not looking at her directly. "It doesn't matter who she is. She isn't an ally we can trust."

And in an instant, she was left with a body full of adrenaline and a head full of shit. Damn it, but that stupid Loyal could sober a girl in two seconds flat. Too quickly for anyone's health.

"Come on, Hitsugaya," she sighed, trying to calm down as she turned away from the edge of the ship. "There are some maps of Port Resurreción in the captain's cabin. I want to know how accurate they are."

* * *

The room was large compared to the rest on the vessel, especially considering there was only one other person in it. It was furnished simply but completely - a dresser, two tables, chairs and stools, pillows and trinkets. Books were everywhere, except none touched the floor. There were only two cots in the corner, but they were also bigger than other ones he'd seen on the ship. Were there a couple of fastidious giants living here, hiding somewhere in the deepest bowels of the ship?

"No need to be so nervous, Little Prince. Please sit down."

Hanatarou Yamada anxiously stepped through the door, leaving the protection of Abarai's muscle behind and throwing himself to the clutches of Retsu Unohana's private quarters. The healer was one of the few pirates who was able to make him relax on this eternally stressful voyage, but that didn't make it any less nerve-wracking to be called into her quarters to talk. Why would she ask for him and not Hitsugaya?

"Y-You wanted to see me?" he managed as he sat on the edge of the offered stool, hands clenching the the wood on each side of him.

"Speaking isn't synonymous with scolding. The tea should help you calm down," she replied, getting up to take a teapot from atop a very small, isolated coal fire and pouring the steaming liquid into two cups. After dousing the fire, she handed one cup to him and took the other for herself.

He accepted it, stared suspiciously into its depths, and then took a sip.

Unohana lifted her own glass to her lips, as if to assure him it was safe. "I apologize for asking you here alone, but I knew we wouldn't get far with your valiant watch dog hovering over us."

Hanatarou choked on his tea.

The motherly healer was quick to take the cup from him, patting his back and helping him catch his breath again. But as soon as the worst was over, she grabbed hold of his trembling hands, squeezing them tightly. He tried to pull away, but her grip was too strong. Just what sort of woman was she?

"Your hands are callused, Little Prince."

Hanatarou stopped struggling. "Th-That-"

Unohana's voice was stern, her gaze unwavering. "You do a great deal of physical labor for a member of a royal family. Especially from a country as prestigious as Hueco Mundo."

"Wait-"

"And I can tell simply through observation that you've been abused over a long period of time."

The prince looked like a cornered rabbit - eyes wide, body shaking - but at that accusation his fear turned to desperation.

"It wasn't Hitsugaya!"

Unohana smiled, one of those all-knowing smiles that can shut a person up in an instant. Slowly, carefully, she let go of the trembling prince's hands. "I didn't mean to imply that. I examined him more thoroughly than you, if you recall."

Hanatarou took the moment to strategically become interested in his reddened palms.

"Those scars on his back weren't battle wounds, Little Prince."

When there was still no reply from her guest, she sighed - quiet and dignified but still disappointed.

"I told you that I didn't ask you here to scold you. I won't ask you to tell us what you're hiding either. Whatever secrets you may have, I understand you have reasons for making them secret. I have only one concern, the lives of the people aboard this galleon. So. Prince Hanatarou Yamada. Tell me, will any of your secrets cause harm to this crew?"

For some time, it seemed Hanatarou wouldn't even say anything in response to that. But finally, he reached for the cup of tea and took a second sip, gripping the cup as if it was a physical manifestation of the courage he strove to find. "Not... Not our secrets."

The answer was no louder than a whisper, but Unohana heard it as clearly as if it had been a shout. "Oh, I see," she intoned wryly. "You and your friend are operating under the assumption that no matter what you tell us, we will all die during this mission."

"H-His Highness doesn't negotiate..."

"Not with pirates?"

Hanatarou's grip on the cup, which had never been that tight in the first place, seemed to be slipping. "N-Not with ... anyone."

Unohana's lips formed an intrigued oh shape as she looked over the young prince in a new light. It made him feel very, very uncomfortable. And utterly transparent.

"Rangiku trusts you both very much," she asserted after few moments. "I don't know why, but she does. She knows you're keeping secrets, both of you. Half the crew does. But she trusts that you will tell us if it becomes necessary. It's as if she's a child seeing her very first rainbow. She's enchanted with you two; you're nothing short of sorcerers.

"Do you understand, Little Prince?"

He shook his head, not wanting to look away from the small cup before him.

"Rangiku doesn't believe this is a suicide mission. She believes that she can keep us all alive and return our captain to us. She believes she can do this because you and Hitsugaya are helping us."

This was the moment in time when Hitsugaya would have stood up and stormed out, dragging him along for the ride, but Hitsugaya wasn't there right now and the exit was still conspicuously shut. Hanatarou was no good at theatrics, only managed to hinder drama. So instead, he set down his unfinished tea one last time and hesitantly stood.

"M-May I p-please go now, ma'am?"

The woman stroked her braid once as if thinking about it, but no one could deny a face like that. It wasn't cute, it wasn't dejected, and it was hardly determined. It was just ... empty. That was his answer, she realized, and Retsu Unohana sighed. Hitsugaya may have accepted an alliance of sorts, but Rangiku was in for a very rude awakening if the very key to their victory, the hostage they needed to trade, was so certain that he had nothing of worth to offer.

"Yes, you may."

She watched him leave, quaking as he walked, and soon she fell into daydreams, thinking about what had transpired and what exactly it meant. She wondered how many patients she would see in the next few days ... and how many she would watch die.

"Ain't often that I can walk in here without ya scoldin' me fer not knockin'."

Retsu Unohana, the most dignified woman most anyone had ever met, jumped in surprise, letting out a very _un_dignified "eep!" when she felt those large, familiar arms wrap around her from behind. Just how had he managed to sneak in while she was sitting right there?

"Kenpachi Zaraki, what are-" She paused, blinking up awkwardly at the man towering above her. His smirk was as wide as the ocean and almost as deep. "You didn't kill the poor thing with fright as he was leaving, did you?"

He pulled away, that smirk only growing as he matched the woman's gaze. "Nah. He looked scared 'nough already. I didn' have to do a thing."

Retsu didn't smile back. "It's nothing to be proud of. I separated a kitten from its mother and intimidated it until I was able to take from it what I wanted. It was a cowardly thing to do."

"You sure that one's the kitten?"

Yet again Retsu was taken aback. She had known Kenpachi for quite some time. Never once had she heard him refer to someone as meek and easily influenced as the young prince in such a way. "Why do you ask that?"

He shrugged before he began rubbing his fist in circles against her back, receiving only an expectant - and quickly growing impatient - look in return for his efforts.

"Neither of 'em's a lion, but at least that one don't try to hide how pathetic he is. That Hitsugaya brat ain't half o' what he looks. Ya can tell by the way he moves, never relaxes. He ain't no fighter; he's runnin' scared."

Finally, she let him move in again, leaning back into him as he placed his head atop her shoulder. She offered a small, sad smile.

"Have you ever been scared, Kenpachi?"

"No point in it."

"Sometimes running is the only thing you can do."

* * *

_Chapter Thirteen End_


	14. Crossing the Line

I thought I'd already changed the rating, but apparently I hadn't. Oops. Well, it's M now, as it should be. Feedback on this chapter would be especially appreciated seeing as I've never written anything quite like this before. Since there will eventually be more mature content, I'd like to know what worked well and what didn't.

Thanks for reading.

**Chapter Specific Warnings:** Almost-but-not-quite sex. The shirts came off.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Crossing the Line

* * *

Hanatarou Yamada was finally getting comfortable again. It wasn't that he blamed Unohana; he just never knew what to do in those situations. Even now he wasn't sure whether he should tell Hitsugaya. Unohana hadn't actually forced him to say anything. She'd figured it out on her own, and she didn't seem to harbor any anger toward him. She was trying to protect her companions, just like Hitsugaya was trying to protect him and everyone else back home.

Hanatarou would never fault someone else for his own cowardice.

He did have to wonder what Hitsugaya was doing though. Abarai had seemed to think he and Miss Rangiku would be talking for a very long time, but it already had been a very long time. The pirate captain and the royal servant had been doing nothing but talking the entire day, the sun long since having set below the water.

The prince was falling asleep where he stood by the time he heard the tell-tale footsteps. Well, they were more akin to stomps. Hastily rubbing at his tired eyes, he looked up to see Hitsugaya unexpectedly grim and tense. He was almost always grim and tense, but during what Hanatarou had seen of their talk, Hitsugaya had actually looked like he might be starting to relax. The pale-haired man only offered a single nod before marching right past Hanatarou, and he wordlessly followed.

The two rounded several corners before coming to a storage room. Hitsugaya slammed the door behind them, locking them in with nothing but crates of non-perishables and barrels of alcohol to eavesdrop.

The agitated servant immediately began to pace.

"She's trying to seduce me."

Hanatarou attempted to process this information. It didn't work. "What?"

"I thought it was just her nature. The closer she came to her goal, the more obnoxious she became. I thought she must have acted that way with everyone. But she doesn't. She was always angry when I implied she slept around, and yet she's doing this. It makes no sense. She even wants to remain in contact after the trade, as if that were possible. She is nothing but improper and indecent and _nosy_, and she's trying to seduce me!"

"Y-You mean Miss Rangiku?"

"Who else could I mean?" Hitsugaya nearly roared as he whirled around to glare at his companion. His pacing was only accelerating, his movements coming in frantic jerks, one hand massaging his forehead for dear life.

Hanatarou Yamada recognized the onset of a fit when he saw one, but this one wasn't too bad yet. He could fix this. Somehow.

"Th-That just means she likes you, right? It doesn't mean-"

"Yamada."

Hanatarou froze the moment he realized Hitsugaya had done the same.

"She dismissed me by saying she needed to bathe." A pointed pause. "Then she told me to meet her in the captain's cabin come midnight."

"…Oh," the prince whispered. He didn't know what else to say. Where was this coming from? What was happening? No one could make him as confused as these pirates.

"She's trying to control me."

Scratch that.

Yamada's eyes widened as he stared in shock at Hitsugaya. As good as it was to see his companion calming down on his own, this was most definitely not the conclusion he'd been hoping for.

"Miss Rangiku isn't like King Aizen!" he insisted, his voice breaking half-way through making him sound like some mouse and ruining the effect. Hitsugaya had just agreed to an alliance. This had just started seeming okay. They were hostages, but only in the loosest of terms. If they could just work together… "Sh-She just… She just l-likes you."

"You're right. She isn't like Aizen. Which means I can use this to my advantage." He was back to pacing, though he was less visibly disturbed, his steps following a consistent rhythm. "All I'd have to do is ask for a concession directly afterward. If she wants to maintain her reputation, she'll have no choice but to comply. If I force her to send me as messenger, then not only do they lose a bargaining chip, but my forces as well as those Aizen will bring with him will be enough to wipe out the whole ship."

Hanatarou could only gape. "Y-You just said you didn't want them to be executed! How could you-"

"This trade was never going to work. From the beginning, someone was going to have to pay for that woman's stupidity. It won't be us," Hitsugaya growled.

"N-No! I c-can't let you do that! If Kurosaki were here he'd throw you across the room!"

"Kurosaki isn't here, Yamada. At the end of the day, not even his damned hero complex can save everyone."

Hanatarou rushed for the door when he saw Hitsugaya reach for the wooden plank locking them inside. "Why did you change your mind? What's wrong, Hitsugaya? I don't-"

His words caught in his throat when Hitsugaya's fist met his gut, and he doubled over, curling into a pitiful, pained ball on the floor.

"She has no feelings for me, and I have none for her. I'll watch them die. It's easier than the alternative."

Yamada watched through wet, squinting eyes as Hitsugaya's feet tapped quietly out of the room.

* * *

The man was eternally smug, Gin Ichimaru decided as he swirled the last vestiges of wine in the bottom of his chalice. Whatever the man was reading now, it only doubled the effect. Which meant it probably had something to do with Ran. He really should ask about it, but he had the distinct feeling that he wasn't drunk enough to deal with the answer. He quickly silenced the thought by draining the cup.

"What'cha readin' there?"

"The reason why we're here, of course," caressed the smooth, suave voice. "The official notice that informed me I needed to make haste to Port Ressurección if I ever wished to see my youngest son again. Did you know there are two signatures? One is from a Captain Rangiku Matsumoto of the ship _Narcissus_. The other … is Isshin Kurosaki."

A single silver brow arched at the confirmation. "My, my. If he signed it himself, he must be pretty excited 'bout it."

"It means, Gin, that he has so little faith in your crew that he feels he must add the weight of his own reputation to their cause."

King Sousuke Aizen dropped the parchment, letting it flutter lightly until it hit the ornate table situated between royalty and prisoner. Though if the lack of restraints were anything to go by, Gin Ichimaru was no longer the prisoner he had been a week ago. In fact, while lounging in this lavishly furnished room with the king of Hueco Mundo, he appeared no less the royalty his companion was - bathed, protected by flowing, colorful clothing, and sipping wine from a bejeweled chalice while spread out over a thick layer of pillows and blankets.

"Unfortunately, that was his biggest mistake."

Gin's masking smirk grew, though he hid it behind his empty chalice. "'Cause he never coulda guessed I'd spill the good news, hm?" he chimed, determinedly unaffected by Aizen's taunting. "Though I 'spose it doesn' matter much. I bet yer little boy is havin' fun tearing my crew apart from the inside out. Ya must've trained him well."

"Have you as little faith as Kurosaki?" The smile that Ichimaru had grown to recognize returned to the king's full lips - that polite, enchanting smile that bled excrement and spoke of nothing but sadism and power. "Well, if you're in a betting mood, why not strike a wager? I propose that young Toushirou will grow attached to your exotic beauty among beasts and will decide his only option is to come begging for my aid."

"An' ya say I'm the one with no faith."

"On the contrary, Gin. I have the utmost faith in him. After all, I've trained him well."

The twisted recycling of Gin's own words left him with an unpleasantly crisp mental image of just what sort of training such a result would entail. "Treatin' yer prisoners like royalty, an' yer royalty like prisoners, huh?" he chuckled to himself before continuing louder. "Well, that's all well an' good, but I got nothin' ta bet with."

"Very well then. If I win, you will accompany me while on the docks."

"An' if ya lose?'

King Aizen waved his hand dismissively, explaining in a single motion that he was confident enough to let Gin choose.

"If ya lose, I get another taste o' this delicious wine," Ichimaru smiled brilliantly.

Aizen returned the favor, though somehow he still looked polite and presentable while Ichimaru could do nothing but appear as a lowly demon, making a deal with the devil. "As you wish."

"But in that case, I'm changin' my bet. I think Ran'll figure out yer little scheme before yer boy can do any harm at all."

At that, the forever composed man clutched his stomach and laughed. "Then I've already won!" he asserted, his tone as well as his body language disturbingly jovial. "Causing harm is within his very nature. He does try to right his wrongs, but…" He turned to his prisoner, his guest, his partner in crime, making sure the man's gaze directly matched his own.

"When one tries so hard to save the world, one often forgets to save one's self."

* * *

Hitsugaya stood quiet but determined outside the door to the captain's cabin, collecting his thoughts and preparing for what he was about to do.

Again and again. She swung those hips, ran her fingers along her thigh, constantly pushed her way into Hitsugaya's personal space. Again and again. She found reasons for them to talk, called him that ridiculous nickname, listened raptly to every story he told and every little detail that spewed from his lips. Again and again. She smiled, she yelled, she shook his hand.

It wasn't want that drove him, no. He didn't want to use her or enjoy her or see how she reacted. He didn't want anything to do with her. It was never want that drove him. It was necessity. He had always done what was necessary, and he would continue to do so without remorse or regret. He had to survive. It was necessary, so he would survive.

Even if it meant doing something as ridiculous as this. This wasn't his doing though. She was the one requesting it. She would be her own downfall. It only proved that she deserved her fate, if she was willing to trust him.

After a moment, he rapped on the door.

The sight that met him when the door slid open was astonishing. The pirate captain had indeed bathed, a warm moisture still clinging to her and the thin clothing she'd likely thrown on only minutes before. Flimsy red fabric revealed ample cleavage and slim, curved shoulders. For the first time, Toushirou Hitsugaya saw Rangiku Matsumoto in a dress, the slit from ankle to thigh revealing one defined and well-toned leg. Despite all her efforts to show off her body, which certainly deserved showing off, the head gear remained, waves of dark material falling into her eyes and over her hair – still wet and weighted down.

She gave him a few seconds to regain his bearings and enter the room before shutting the door behind him and locking it in place.

"You know why I called you here, don't you?" she asked.

"Well…" the royal servant trailed off as she pushed herself off the door and made her way toward him, "I have an idea."

As soon as she reached him, she wrapped her hands around his shoulders and pushed him toward her chair, kicking it out to allow him to sit. Hands slowly began to massage his shoulders and upper back. He wasn't about to complain, but he wasn't sure why she was doing it either.

"You need to relax, Hitsugaya. You're so tense that _I_ get uncomfortable whenever you enter the room," the woman explained lightly. "I thought we could talk about something other than the trade for a little while, loosen you up a little before you keel over from the stress."

Her hands gradually moved lower, from his shoulders to his upper back to his middle back, dexterous fingers unknotting every inch of flesh from beneath his shirt. He moved with her unconsciously, the relief welling up in the back of his throat even as her hair fell into his face and she leaned directly over him.

"So what would you like to talk about?"

Talk? While feeling like this? It seemed like a damn shame, but he managed it. "I thought you said I could only dream of being the men you went to bed with."

This massage was only a pre-text, and they both knew it, but Matsumoto didn't stop when he accused her. She only leaned over further to meet Hitsugaya's eyes with her own. They were steadfast as she answered. "You're not as horrible as you pretend to be, you know. After a few days, I started to think it was kind of cute."

"And now you perceive me to be worthy of your time."

"Maybe you're not the only one who's tense, hm?"

At that confession, Hitsugaya was actually surprised, surprised enough to focus on it above the feel of her hands on his back. "You're the only one on this ship who seems to think your plan will work. Why are you the tense one?"

She huffed, pressing particularly hard against his spine in revenge. Satisfied at his hiss, she confessed. "You're not the only one who can pretend either." Her shoulders slumped into his, her chin resting on his forehead. He didn't react, so she continued. "I'm the captain of this whole damn ship. Everyone on it, no matter what they actually think, is going to follow my orders, no matter how ridiculous. I can't… I can't just tell them that I don't believe in my own choice, that … sometimes I see Gin, late at night, and I don't know whether I'm dreaming or if I'm actually seeing his ghost. I don't even know if he's alive; how can I know that we'll be alive when this is all over?"

He looked up at her, teal green eyes hiding something within their depths that Rangiku had still yet to decipher. "Why tell me?"

"Because," she smiled sadly, "I see you staring at your own ghosts every day."

Hitsugaya felt something melt inside of him. He wasn't sure what it was, but it burned. Without a second thought, he closed the distance between them, pressing into her lips like he belonged there. She returned his gesture, arms pulling away from his back and around to his front, pushing his shirt down as they ran along his chest. His callused hands moved to wrap around her neck, gliding upward until they reached the edge of the head piece at her forehead.

The moment he began to slip it off, she grabbed his wrist. For a few seconds, Hitsugaya thought she was finished, but then she reached beneath it and began to remove several small pins that must have been holding it in place. As she gently removed it, she ran a hand through her drying lockes, and Hitsugaya found himself questioning why she would ever hide herself like that.

Until he noticed it. In a jagged curve from the edge of her left brow over her ear and around the back of her head was a horrible burn mark. No doubt it had been third degree, blistering and boiling red when new. It had mellowed into a painfully sensitive pink since, and no hair grew upon its length. No hair ever would again.

"Ugly, isn't it?" she asked flippantly, as if speaking of the weather. "It used to be worse. A couple of the healers emptied their stomachs when they first saw it. I guess none of them could picture me with such a disfigurement."

But Hitsugaya refused to recoil at the sight. Instead he stood up and pushed forward again, reaching up to trail his fingers along the edge of the mark, where soft flesh and inflamed scar tissue met. "I have had to walk among men and women who hide behind powdered wigs and face paint all my life. Those are the real disfigurements. This only proves you've done something worth telling."

She was quiet for a moment before moving closer. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make me want to laugh and cry at the same time."

Why was she telling him all of this? She obviously hadn't divulged this information to anyone else. Her own crew members didn't know what he knew. He was the only one.

And he liked it.

He wanted to be the only one who knew these things. He wanted her to tell him more, he wanted to hear more about her. He wanted to feel her, to understand her in every way possible.

He wanted her.

She dove for his lips, and he pressed her against the wall, hungry tongues invading each others privacy, searching for a dominance they never found in their anarchical dance. He caressed her shoulders, palms gliding along the flesh until they found the cloth that hid her chest from him. He forced it down to her elbows as she planted her hands on his chest once more, riding his shirt up while hers tumbled down.

Only when they broke from the kiss did he reach for her breast, squeezing the yielding fat between his fingers as his lips found purchase along the side of her neck. She moved against him brilliantly, letting loose a pleased moan.

"Just for tonight," she whispered into his ear. "Just for tonight, I'm all yours."

"_Everything you will ever own…"_

Hitsugaya froze, and Matsumoto took it as her cue to throw in a few kisses herself.

"_Everything you will ever love, and everything you will ever hate…"_

Hastily, he jerked away from her touch, pushing her into the wall as he stepped back.

"_They are all mine."_

And as Rangiku watched, half undressed and dazed beyond comprehensive thought, Toushirou Hitsugaya ran.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen End


	15. Time nor Tides

I'm actually a little frightened by how long it took to update this. But here's to hoping that I graduate in a few months with lots of shiny, new time on my hands.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen  
**

Time nor Tides

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto self-consciously pulled up the shoulder of her dress as she stumbled through the door to the sick bay. It took her a moment to get used to the sudden activity within - healers running about, patients chatting. Ironically, the hustle and bustle calmed her over-excited heart.

Here, all was normal. Here, all was safe.

"M-Miss Rangiku?"

The lady captain gulped, looking up to see Prince Hanatarou coming her way, a wet cloth in hand. His voice was full of concern, his expression laden with regret. When he reached out a hand to her, she pushed it aside, hastily collecting herself.

"Hanatarou! You really enjoy helping out down here, don't you?" she smiled, absently throwing some still damp hair over her shoulder. She knew from the other man's reaction that she was kidding herself if she thought she could hide this.

What _was_ this? Whatever it was, it hurt.

Hanatarou leaned in closer, concern morphing to worry before her eyes. "Did Hitsugaya...?" he whispered urgently, and she quickly tossed the subject aside.

"He isn't down here then, huh? I thought he might have been sick. It would've explained some things. But I guess he's not. He's so unpredictible, isn't he? You'd think the opposite, but it's just not true." Oh, hell. She was rambling now. When she caught Unohana looking up in her peripheral vision, she knew she had to get out of there.

"It was nice seeing you, Hanatarou!" she concluded as she gave a sound clap to his shoulder. The slight shiver that ran through the appendage didn't pass the young prince's sight. "But I should go. So much planning to do. Would be a pity to have everything foul itself up so close to our goal."

She laughed loudly as she twirled out of the room, every step just one step closer to a face plant. She needed sleep. That was what she needed. After a good night's sleep, this feeling would go away, and she wouldn't care anymore.

She wouldn't care that a Loyal didn't want to touch her.

* * *

Hanatarou, however, knew he wasn't going to get a wink of sleep that night.

As he stared at the still swinging doors to the sick bay, now vacant of their vibrant occupant, he felt a strange combination of emotions. Confusion was one of them, certainly. Concern was another. Dread dominated them. And also relief.

All of his talk about not feeling anything for these pirates, about them being enemies and undeserving of guilt. It was all just talk. In the end, Hitsugaya hadn't been able to go through with it. The outcome of that choice would be devastating, he was sure, but he still felt relieved. After all of this time, after all of this pretending, Toushirou Hitsugaya was still the same.

And now they would all suffer for it.

Before that though, he had a friend to take care of.

He turned his head toward Retsu Unohana, and the woman smiled softly. Permission granted. He was gone before his cloth hit the floor.

* * *

Silently, Hanatarou slid open the door to the storage room they'd spoken in earlier. Nothing about the room had changed, except for one crate that had been pushed ever so slightly to the right. With a deep breath, he closed the door.

When he peeked around the edge of the crate, he found his target huddled into a ball in the smallest niche possible. Shaking hands clutched strands of white hair as if their very existence depended on it. His face was buried in his knees, toes curled inward, shoulders taut as if the slightest movement would break them from his body.

This was one of the bad fits. Hanatarou knew he couldn't fix this. The force behind it was infinitely greater than his own. None-the-less, he found himself pushing the crate out of the way, making enough room to squeeze in next to Hitsugaya.

His companion didn't move. He didn't expect him to.

"...I saw Miss Rangiku."

"I couldn't." The voice was hoarse, cracked, and barely audible. It was so tiny, it felt as if a breeze would extinguish it. Yamada knew he hadn't been crying. He'd been screaming.

"Yeah. I know."

"I wanted to."

Oh. Hanatarou Yamada's eyes widened in understanding.

"I can't want her."

The agonized whisper was clear despite Hitsugaya's roughened vocal chords.

Outwardly, Yamada, Hitsugaya, and the others had always operated under a very strict code. No one person mattered. What mattered was the goal. It was Hitsugaya's own assertion, and he expected it of all of his subordinates. No matter how crazy something seemed, no matter how ridiculous, how impossible, they would do it for the cause.

They would leave someone behind for the cause.

Hanatarou knew that was bullshit.

Despite what they insisted, they never acted on that code. The only person who had ever tried was Hitsugaya himself, and Yamada couldn't count the number of times Hitsugaya had broken it for them. For him, for Hinamori, for Rukia...

This was something else. This was something worse.

There was only one reason why Hitsugaya would hold himself back like this. There had always been only one reason.

"Hitsugaya..."

"He'll take her."

And there it was.

The servant's shaking was getting worse, his fingers digging unholy red marks into his scalp. Yamada felt utterly useless. What kind of healer could sit back and watch this, knowing he could do nothing to help?

"H-He can't touch her, not out here. It's all right. We'll... We'll think of something."

The prince tried to reach out a hand, but his companion jerked at the contact. His narrowed teal eyes simmered with anger, frustration, a rage that had no outlet. A hopelessness that only motivated him further for he had nothing left to lose.

Until now.

"Don't kid yourself! He'll have her the moment we dock!" His voice cracked as he hollered and rose to his feet. Hanatarou was pushed into the side of the crate at his movement, but Hitsugaya didn't care. He couldn't have stopped even if he wanted to. "I can't let him have her! Any of them!"

"He won't!" It was a futile attempt, but Yamada attempted it anyway. Anything to keep Hitsugaya from going mad. "We- We just have to think of something!"

"I've tried! I've tried and tried and tried! There's nothing to think about! There's _nothing!_" There went a crate, toppling when Hitsugaya launched it. "Dammit! I can't let him-! I can't! Dammit, dammit, dammi-" His overwhelming tirade came to a halting stop when a lump caught in his throat.

He couldn't breathe. He still didn't care. Yamada cared, yanking his companion back to the floor with surprising force. The shock released Hitsugaya's air passage with a gasp.

"Hitsugaya, p-please! Calm down..."

His unstable companion simply sat there, breathing in and out, in and out, in, out, in, out. Finally, he buried his head in his knees again. There was blood in his hair, but Yamada didn't try to touch it.

"I wanted granny, and he took her. I wanted you, and he took you. I wanted Hinamori, and he took her. I can't... stop him."

"I'm right here." Now Hanatarou was speaking no louder than Hitsugaya's hoarse whisper. All the fight had seemed to dissipate from Hitsugaya the moment he landed on the floor, and that scared the prince.

"No. Go away."

"Hitsugaya..."

Hanatarou Yamada was proven dead wrong when Hitsugaya sent a fist flying right into his face.

"I don't want you here! You're so damn annoying! Just like those wretched pirates! If you're so fond of them, why don't you just defect to their bloody crew?"

"I know. I'm sorry. But I'm still here."

It was all Hanatarou could say. It was all Hanatarou could do. Even as he rubbed at his swelling cheek, he couldn't leave this room. He couldn't do what Hitsugaya wanted. He could only get in his way over and over again. He could only cause him trouble, be another mouth to feed, another body to add weight to Hitsugaya's endless responsibilities.

It really was just like what Hitsugaya had said. He'd been taken away.

He was still here, but he wasn't his own.

"Why?"

The question was more of a bite than a word, and it hurt Hanatarou. Not because it was cold or demanding; it was actually soft, barely audible. Not because he expected Hitsugaya to know the answer; he didn't really know it himself. It hurt because he knew the reason for this. The reason for this whole God forsaken mess.

And he couldn't stop him either.

"B-Because I want to be."

Silence. Beautiful, horrible silence permeated only by their own breathing.

It was several minutes before Hitsugaya said anything more, muffled as it was by the material of his pants. "I have to talk to him."

Before Hanatarou had the chance to protest, Hitsugaya was out cold.

* * *

It was early in the morning when Yamada found himself fidgeting outside the captain's cabin. He had no idea how to go about doing this. This was the sort of scheme Hitsugaya or Ishida would pull off. He was no good at acting, had no poker face to disguise his thoughts; Rangiku would see right through him. But Ishida wasn't here, and Hitsugaya couldn't handle the pressure right now.

When Hanatarou Yamada was your only hope, you knew you were in trouble.

Gulping down his insecurities, he finally managed a single knock.

Apparently it was enough because Rangiku opened the door right away. Yamada couldn't hide his surprise when he saw her. The last time she'd run into him, she'd seemed ready to cry, but now she held herself comfortably, confidently. She'd changed out of the dress, back into rugged working attire. She was wide awake and looked positively refreshed. It was as if last night hadn't happened.

"Hanatarou," she grinned happily. "Need something? You look pretty beat."

"I-I was looking after Hitsugaya all night..." he replied, gaze locked on the floor.

Her grin fell. "Oh. What's he been up to?"

"He's married."

"Wh-What?"

Yamada hadn't meant to blurt it out like that. He'd had a whole conversation planned to lead into it, but somehow it always turned out this way. He really was no good at this.

"Th-That's why. When you called him..."

"He didn't seem like the brimming with fidelity type to me," she deadpanned.

Yamada cringed. Hitsugaya had answered her summons after all.

"It-It's complicated..." Deep breaths, Yamada. Deep breaths. He could do this. He just had to say the right things. He couldn't lie, that was too obvious, but half-truths would do. "H-He married her to protect her from something, a-and he doesn't r-really think of her in that way. I think you surprised him because... Because he liked it. And he knows he shouldn't..."

Rangiku tried to absorb the information, and Yamada could see from her narrowed eyes that she didn't completely believe him. Had he said something wrong? What was it? Was it because of that drinking game? Yamada nearly yelped at the realization. His words contradicted everything they'd said during that. Maybe she was too drunk to remember? Maybe she would let it slide?

"Ah!" she smiled triumphantly, suddenly raising her pointer finger into the air. "That explains it! Mrs. Sex Bunny must be the jealous type! Am I right? Hina will hang him out to dry if she finds out!"

The appalling display had Yamada sputtering incoherently, and Rangiku had to laugh.

"I'm joking, joking! Really!" she giggled. "It's okay. I've made up my mind. You and Hitsugaya are here so that we can trade you for Gin. There's no sense in being upset over a silly rejection, so don't worry. I'm a big girl. I can handle it."

She leaned in conspiratorially, winking. The prince just nodded dumbly.

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

He shook his head.

Rangiku sighed before motioning that he could continue. Really. Royalty should be more assertive!

"I... I want Hitsugaya to be the messenger when we arrive," he finally managed, looking pleadingly up into her pale eyes, once again shadowed by her heavy cloth covering.

That was an enormous request, especially after she'd just reiterated that they were the hostages in this situation. But he had to do this. He had to, for Hitsugaya. If he couldn't do this much, what good was he?

"Why in heaven's name would I agree to that?"

"Because Hitsugaya knows how the system works! H-He's really good at manipulating it! And as long as you have me, you can still do the trade! I-I'm the one they want, right? Because I'm the Sixth Prince of Hueco Mundo! I know negotiations won't happen unless Hitsugaya is a part of them! I'm sure of it! It's the only way His Highness will be willing to talk! And Hitsugaya wouldn't leave without me, right? You said that, right?"

He emphasized his points with clenched fists, adrenaline soaring through his veins as he tried so desperately to plead his case.

"You really think..." the woman trailed off thoughtfully, "that he'd be able to negotiate with the man you've told us from the beginning doesn't negotiate?"

"If anyone could, it would be him," Yamada nodded anxiously.

Rangiku was quiet for a moment. A painstakingly long moment in Yamada's opinion. Finally she stood up straight and replied in a commanding tone, "Fine. Though I'll be sending Renji with him."

"That's fine," the prince hastily assured. "Thank you!"

Just as he turned around to leave, however, she called out to him again. "Hanatarou."

"Ah, yes?"

"Was that true? About his wife?"

"H-He is trying to protect her, and it really does b-bother him that he likes you."

"And he's still in the storage room?"

Yamada's eyes widened, and it was enough of an answer for her.

"I told you not to worry, did I not?" the woman intoned playfully. She walked past him, ruffling his hair as she went. "I know just how to handle this. I'll tell him about it myself."

* * *

Toushirou Hitsugaya groaned as he slowly returned to the waking world and all the muscle pains that came with sleeping in an awkward position. His joints ached, and his head hurt. With a dissatisfied moan, he reached back to cradle his head and met someone else's thigh instead.

He opened his eyes to find familiar blue ones looking down at him.

"Maybe this'll teach ya to stop sleeping on the floor, hm?"

Hitsugaya closed his eyes again and forced himself to sit up, freeing Matsumoto's lap. "We have got to stop meeting like this," he countered dryly.

Matsumoto only sat there patiently, counting down until the inevitable. Three, two, one, and...

He whirled around to glare at her, that telling pink hue tinting his puffed up cheeks. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hanatarou was tired from looking after you all night, Sir Hitsugaya, and so I offered to take a shift so he could rest," she scolded lightly. "Honestly, to be stuck with you as a protector... It's a wonder both of you are still alive."

When she received no frustrated reply, she had to look up. Where was the witty repartee?

Instead of the customary grimace and the hard eyes to which she had grown immune, she found a question in his expression. He was looking at her as if he was expecting something that wasn't coming. If the way he had tensed was any indication, he was expecting something unpleasant.

She sighed, rotating a band of hair around her pointer finger. "Thank you, by the way."

That surprised twitch of his finger gave him away even as he continued to glare defiantly. She smiled.

"I can't very well allow myself to get attached to my hostage, now can I? I have more important things I need to focus on. Like making sure this mission succeeds. We made a deal, didn't we? That we would work together to make sure this goes according to plan. If you hadn't given me that wake up call, I might not have been able to go through with the trade.

So thank you, for keeping your end of the truce."

Throughout her speech, she had watched those tense shoulders slacken and that frown straighten out, those brilliant eyes alight with realization. It was almost like a child gradually comprehending that he wasn't going to be punished for doing something bad.

Hook, line, and sinker.

"I wasn't trying-"

"You don't have to make excuses," Matsumoto waved his urgent explanation away as she stood up, stretching her back in a cat-like arch. "Hanatarou told me aaaaaall about Mrs. Sex Bunny~"

His face was even more scandalized than Hanatarou's had been, and Matsumoto couldn't stifle a laugh. He was to his feet in an instant, demanding things from her even as she gulped down air in a vain attempt to keep from suffocating through her own laughing fit.

"What do you mean Yamada told you? What did he tell you? You can't be serious! What did that idiot say? Stop laughing, you damned woman!"

She grabbed his hand when he reached to haul her up, allowing herself another few seconds to calm down before letting go.

"You don't have to scold him. He didn't tell me anything incriminating," she chuckled. "But I understood. We're alike, you and I. We both have someone for whom we have to make sure this trade goes off without a hitch."

"Tch!" the young man returned, folding his arms across his chest. "I can't decide whether you're the most steadfast woman in the world, or the most fickle!"

And there she went, laughing again. "Good! That means I'm doing something right!"

When he only rolled his eyes in response, she nodded appreciatively. "We'll be docking at Port Resurrección in a matter of hours. Prince Hanatarou says you're the best man to alert King Aizen of our arrival. I don't like it, but... I can't deny that it would be a sound tactic. Of course, it's only sound if we work together. Hm?"

She held up a hand, pointing with her thumb in the direction of the captain's cabin. The cogs were turning in his head, she could see it, and her smile only grew when he let his hands drop to his sides and stepped out the door, waiting for her to follow.

* * *

_Chapter Fifteen End_


	16. Jericho Had Walls

Thus begins the chapter where everything starts to make sense. The next few chapters will all have similar revelations. Can you figure it out before the characters do? That is, if everyone hasn't figured it out already. Enjoy!

**Chapter Specific Warning:** I used the word fuck for the first time in a fic. Also a bit of abuse, I guess.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Jericho Had Walls

* * *

"If you forget even one detail..."

Rangiku Matsumoto laughed, waving her hands in reassurance. "How could I? We've only been going over the plan with a fine toothed comb for nearly a day. Kenpachi's men are already breaking up into groups. They'll leave one group at a time and mingle with the crowd. Hanatarou and I can handle the rest!" She reached over to envelop the prince in a shameless side-hug. "Had Shuu take down the flag hours ago, and the ship's name is covered, disguised as cannon damage. No one will know which ship is the pirate ship until _you_ point us out." Her hold on the prince became noticeably tighter at those last words. She meant business. She hadn't forgotten anything about the plan, but would the other half required for their success do his part?

Hitsugaya grimaced from his spot at the rail, the light from the setting sun shining as a backdrop to his silhouette. It illuminated where he had been all too well but left his destination in shadow. "You'll suffocate him before I even reach the duke's manor."

"Is that where the king is staying?" Rangiku asked, curiosity getting the better of her as she freed her poor prisoner.

"It's the largest estate in Resurrección, complete with holding cells and a strategic view of the port itself. Not to mention the duchy has no choice but to be hospitable to the king. Of course that's where he'll be," the young man sighed, massaging the skin directly above his right ear.

"That one then," Renji Abarai, who hadn't seen any reason to butt in on the discussion concerning their plans (he'd already made it very clear what he thought of placing so much trust in Hitsugaya), pointed to the large, castle-like manor that sprawled egotistically across acre after acre.

"That one. You'll be able to see from here when they open the gates. After that, Abarai and I will be alone in the estate."

"Don't lose him, Renji!" the woman captain huffed as she slapped her compatriot playfully across his back. "All you two are doing is announcing our presence. Tomorrow at exactly noon. That's when you ensure the king is waiting for us right there on the dock. If we don't receive your signal, we won't raise the pirate flag."

"Yeah, yeah. Heard it a million damn times," the red-head grumbled as he followed his charge off the galleon. How did he always end up babysitting?

* * *

Urahara released a monstrous yawn, readjusting his hat as he stepped out into the salty sea air for the first time all day. Forget all-nighters. When Kisuke Urahara crammed for test day, he could keep going for days on end. In comparison, the thirty or so hours he'd locked himself up with Yoruichi were nothing.

"So, what do you think? Verify with Retsu?" the woman beside him purred. "She was the one who got a look at them firsthand. You had a barrel full of water obstructing your view."

"As soon as possible. Then I think it's time to tell Rangiku."

"If it has to do with how reckless she's being, you're about a week late," interrupted a disgruntled Shuuhei Hisagi.

Urahara chuckled. "Actually, it's about our hostages."

"You can't really call them hostages anymore. Ran's officially promoted them to partners in crime," the man sighed as he ran a hand through his short, tousled hair.

"What is she up to now?" Yoruichi questioned warily, getting a bad feeling in her gut. Had she and Kisuke gotten too used to being the ones calling the shots? Rangiku wouldn't have made a move without consulting them first, would she...?

"She's sent the prince's bulldog as a mediator. He and Renji are supposed to convince the King to go through with the trade. Don't ask me why she picked Renji. Probably figured Hitsugaya was the brains and he was the brawn."

Kisuke's complexion had paled exponentially with each word out of Shuuhei's mouth, and Yoruichi was impossibly tense.

"She already sent them? That wasn't the plan."

"Hitsugaya insisted they leave at sundown rather than sunrise. Something about who runs the guard at what time..."

Shuuhei didn't have a chance to continue. Kisuke and Yoruichi were already gone.

* * *

Hitsugaya and Abarai approached the large gate in silence. Neither of them wanted anything to do with each other, and since the plan was already set, they saw no reason to engage each other until absolutely necessary. Hitsugaya wasn't held back by any physical bonds, but he could feel the redhead's stare as tightly as any noose.

Not for long, thankfully.

A few muffled shouts could be heard from the other side of the gate, and when the two companions reached it, it slowly opened to let them through. Three people were waiting for them, blocking their path. All three were in uniform and carried weapons, but two were dressed in the green uniform of the duke's guard. The large man in the middle, the only one with a notable rank and the only one wearing armor, was dressed in the infamous white of the Loyal officer.

Hitsugaya recognized him and inwardly rejoiced. Jidanbou Ikkanzaka. Ikkanzaka nearly always chose night shifts, knowing that that was when most rules were broken, that that was when he would be needed. He also happened to have a serious shoulder injury, one he received right before Hitsugaya set sail which had prevented him from following Hitsugaya out to sea. He was loyal, simple, and best of all, he was sorely underestimated by everyone of royal blood. According to the monarchy, he was good for nothing more than standing in the doorway looking big and scary.

The gate shut loudly behind them, blocking off their escape.

Hitsugaya looked quietly up at Ikkanzaka, and Ikkanzaka looked quietly down at Hitsugaya. Not five seconds later, dirt flew as Renji Abarai was pinned to the ground by the handle of a giant axe.

"Wh-What the hell!"

"Toushirou!" Ikkanzaka called with a wide open grin, completely ignoring the struggling man he'd just captured. "You're alright!"

"I am fine, thank you," he affirmed, wiping some dirt from his shoulder.

"But I heard-"

"I am fine," Hitsugaya repeated with more force. He removed his attention from his shoulder in order to return it to the flailing redhead. "Jidanbou, I have a request."

The gate keeper looked absolutely ecstatic at the news. Not only was Toushirou here and in great shape against all odds, but he was counting on him. So much so, he even referred to him by his given name.

"Take this man to the holding cells yourself. I wish to speak with Aizen uninterrupted, and that won't happen unless he's out of the way. Have Kurosaki on stand-by outside the Duke's chamber. Third level, the room furthest from the stairwell, yes?"

Ikkanzaka nodded, admittedly confused as to why Hitsugaya would ask directions when he must have known from the beginning, just like he'd known Ichigo Kurosaki would be here.

"Make sure that Kuchiki delivers a fruit platter to Kurosaki. Apples, pears, and strawberries. I'll no doubt be hungry when I finish negotiations."

Two very different reactions were brought about by these words. Jidanbou Ikkanzaka's eyes widened in sudden understanding at the mention of fruit, and he nodded furiously, even more energetic than before. Renji Abarai, however, instantly stilled and paled when he heard the name Kuchiki, all else utterly lost on him. It was painfully easy for the large man to haul the tattooed pirate onto his feet and begin to guide him toward a side entrance.

Hitsugaya watched the two of them for a moment before adding one last remark. "Oy, Jidanbou. Your right shoulder?"

The gate keeper rotated the joint happily in illustration. "Lookit that! Almost good as new!"

Quietly eyeing the two other men with an unreadable expression, Hitsugaya only shook his head. Then he turned away to march through the main entrance into the manor, ignoring the strange looks he received from the duke's guard.

"I don't know. It still looks stiff to me."

* * *

"You _stupid_ little girl!"

Rangiku Matsumoto glared up at the man from her place pinned against the wall. Two muscular arms stretched past each side side of her head until two fists met malleable wood above her shoulders. Kisuke Urahara was livid, matching the woman's glare blow for blow. Today, he wasn't a mere navigator. He was a predator.

"Why didn't you wait?" The question was growled, Kisuke's voice throaty and raw in his anger.

"He said it needed to be sundown! A man named Jidanbou is in charge of the guard at that time, and Hitsugaya insisted the man would work with him!" she snarled in return, more frustrated with being called a _little girl_ than with being called _stupid_. "He and Hanatarou are the only ones on this ship with intimate information on the royal guard. I wasn't about to jeopardize the plan by forcing him to pass an impossible gate keeper!"

"You know nothing about these men! What on Earth makes you believe you can trust them?"

"Excuse me?" In an aggravated sweeping gesture, Rangiku knocked one of his arms away and escaped his hold, spinning around to glare daggers at him from the opposite direction. "I know nothing about them? You're the one who interrogated them until one passed out and then locked yourself away without so much as one word of explanation! All your newspapers and logs won't tell you anything that I know about them!" She was shaking now, forcing herself not to draw her sword. "I've been _talking_ to them, _spending time_ with them! We have proof that they're working against their own king! I know they're not the type of people who could string lies like this! What more do I need to know?"

"How about why?" the blond countered dangerously, removing his remaining hand from the wooden wall to stretch his injured fingers. "Think, Rangiku! I know you're more intelligent than this. Why would one of the heirs to the throne plot against the man who gave him everything he owns?"

"Hanatarou just follows Hitsugaya's lead, and Hitsugaya has a lady back home. He's trying to keep her safe. Her and everyone else," the woman captain hissed. "Why can't anyone just accept that King Aizen is an ass, and they aren't?"

"But why are they different, Rangiku?"

"They just are!"

"You can't tell me that in all that time you spent talking, you never once questioned their motives. Think! Think long and hard about with whom you are entrusting Gin's life."

Matsumoto hesitated.

_"You know, I heard that our little whitey threw a fit and pounded the prince down in the sick bay."_

She'd spoken to both of them endlessly. And she'd enjoyed it. She thought she'd figured them out.

_"Well… um… When… When things happen… sometimes you think about them because of other things, and you know that no one's trying to hurt you or bother you, but it still hurts you anyway, especially when you can't tell them why it hurts, and so you try to endure it and you try to endure everything else, but that one thing keeps coming back and just won't go away, and you even try telling people, but they don't listen because you're not important enough, and everything just gets worse and worse until you can't stand it anymore, and you need to do something, but you still can't, and it just makes you want the whole world to end, it makes you want it so badly that you'd do anything, you'd even k-!"_

She had figured them out. She could predict where they'd be, how they'd react to what. She didn't have it down perfectly yet, but when she made a mistake, she always knew the right fix.

_"My parents had no _need_ to sell me off to the palace."_

They were nothing but a pair of misfits in a cruel world. She related to that idea so well.

_"If our hostage is suffering from anything, it's nightmares."_

They'd probably had their fair share of beatings. Of losses. That was why they were so secretive and chaotic.

_"My, you're so flushed already, Hitsugaya? Just how many of these silly sex questions have you been drinking to?"_

But they had a noble purpose. They were willing to do anything to meet their goal, to help their people.

_"H-He married her to protect her from something, a-and he doesn't r-really think of her in that way. I think you surprised him because... Because he liked it. And he knows he shouldn't..."_

Anything.

Especially lie.

There were some things in this world that no one wanted to tell anyone.

"_That way... rank would have nothing to do with anything."_

Rangiku bit her lip, cursing under her breath before taking off. Kisuke moved to follow, but Yoruichi reached her hand out to his shoulder to stop him.

"Let her run. We can walk."

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply to calm himself down. Then he nodded, cradling his face in his hand. Walking sounded nice.

* * *

"Toushirou. Resourceful as always, I see. Pray tell, how did you manage this?"

Hitsugaya closed the door behind him and surveyed the room before he risked opening his mouth in response. It was just as he remembered from prior visits - the same forest green and gold accents, the same furniture, the same paintings on the walls - except for the occupants. Sousuke Aizen was sitting on the large, draped canopy bed instead of the duke to whom it belonged, and apparently he had another visitor.

The man standing in the corner cradling a champagne flûte was pale and gaunt, made only more obvious by the loose, colorful robes he wore. Hitsugaya couldn't escape the feeling that his very soul was being read by eyes that didn't even appear to be open, and that obnoxious grin widened while Hitsugaya watched him warily. This visitor didn't seem to have anything to say, so Hitsugaya did his best to ignore his overbearing presence, stepping forward to address King Aizen.

"The captain of their crew is acting under the impression that Yamada is the Sixth Prince."

"Aaah. So it wasn't through any intelligent move of yours. They were merely ignorant. I should have known," the ruler smiled knowingly from his shaded position on the bed. He crossed his legs, leaning forward to take on an overly exaggerated thoughtful pose. "You must truly hate them, to pull such a humiliating stunt."

Hitsugaya grimaced at the accusation, hands balling into fists. It wasn't true. And Aizen knew that. That was why he was saying it. How did he already know?

"I'm here to ask that you allow them to leave unharmed."

"Toushirou." The man's tone was deadly, and Hitsugaya immediately silenced himself. "I do not negotiate with pirates."

"Then negotiate with me."

Aizen rose from his seat, driving forward to grasp one of Hitsugaya's wrists and slam it back into the wall behind them. There was no anger in Aizen's gestures, no aggravation or rage. Only force. Devastating force that bruised and battered without bias. Fingers twitched involuntarily when Aizen tightened his hold around the slim appendage, keeping it in place high above Hitsugaya's head. The younger gritted his teeth at the pain but refused to back down. He was so accustomed to this by now that it was surprisingly easy to endure.

"You own nothing in this world that I do not already have, and you know this."

But he did. He did have something. Rangiku Matsumoto's secrets were his and his alone. He wasn't sure why he was so proud of that knowledge even now, but he clung to it with reckless abandon as he met unyielding brown with cold, hard teal. He wouldn't give those secrets to Aizen, but he could let the arrogant ruler know that something did exist. He owned something that Aizen hadn't yet taken, and he could use it to _fuck_ with Aizen the same way the man always did to him.

"How 'bout obedience?"

Both the king and his victim broke off their intense staring contest and turned to the man in the corner, who was now tracing intricate patterns along his flûte's rim. The man's smirk was impossibly wide - a scheming fox, a poisonous serpent.

"It don't look like ya have much o' that," he chuckled in explanation.

Hitsugaya couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down his spine when Aizen slowly turned back to him. He was smiling. That generous, fatherly smile. Hitsugaya hated that smile more than anything.

"Well, Toushirou?" Aizen intoned smoothly, sweetly.

It was getting difficult for Hitsugaya to breathe, especially with the man so close. He was genuinely afraid of Aizen's next words because he already knew what his answer would be. He didn't have a choice.

"How much are their lives worth to you?"

* * *

Rangiku wasted no time being gentle as she stormed through the doors to the sick bay, much like she had done in the early hours of that morning. This time, though, she knew exactly what she wanted.

"Hanatarou. Captain's cabin. Now!"

The prince looked meekly up at Isane, and she nodded with a small, sympathetic smile. Neither of them knew what Miss Rangiku was upset about, but Hanatarou knew from experience that it was best to get this sort of thing over with as soon as possible.

He trotted up to the designated room and just as he reached his hand up to knock, he was dragged inside, the door slamming behind him.

Not only Miss Rangiku but Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihouin were gathered in the small quarters. All of them wore grave expressions, though only Miss Rangiku was acting forceful. Hanatarou was confused for a moment, and a little worried that he had done something wrong, but then suddenly, far too soon, it clicked.

They knew.

"Who are you?" Miss Rangiku demanded.

"What?"

"Who are you!" she repeated, slamming a hand down on the heavy desk beside her.

Hanatarou watched the papers and tools littering the desk jump and scatter at the blow. Miss Rangiku knew about their lie. Now she just wanted him to admit it. But now... Admitting it now would be disastrous. Hitsugaya was already gone. What... What would happen to him once he admitted the truth?

"I don't understand. I-I'm Hanatarou. H-Hanat-tarou Y-Yamada..."

Urahara and Shihouin exchanged looks in the corner of his vision. Shihouin whispered something in Urahara's ear, and a blond brow rose in intrigue. He nudged her in the ribs when he realized Hanatarou was watching them.

"Yamada," the curvaceous woman nodded, stepping forward with hands at her hips. "Your friend can't do this alone. I'm sure you realize how much he could end up sacrificing. Where his plans fall short, we can help compensate."

Rangiku looked just as surprised as Hanatarou was. Just how much did they know? Because if they really knew that much, then there was no point in hiding anything at all.

"H-His Highness..." Could Hanatarou really do this? Could he tell them the truth after all the effort they put into keeping it a secret? One look at Miss Rangiku's confused and hurt expression told him he could. She knew less about this than her own subordinates did. No one was telling her anything. She deserved the truth. "We knew His Highness w-would never go through with the trade. H-He would never give up Ichimaru. At first... At first we just wanted to get back, but now he wants to make sure His Highness doesn't execute you! He's just trying to make everything right!"

"Who are you?"

Miss Rangiku's voice was quieter this time as she soaked in this information. It was an awkward mixture of knowledge, both damning and praising the pirates' would-be allies. They weren't traitors. They were just deceivers who had taken away this crew's last hope at regaining their captain.

"I..." Yamada took a deep breath and gulped down his hesitance. "I am the property of Toushirou Hitsugaya, Sixth Prince and youngest heir to the throne of Hueco Mundo."

* * *

_Chapter Sixteen End_


End file.
